World of Change
by mchambli
Summary: Visiting family, Nodoka and Ranma end up on Macross Island at the wrong time. A revision of the Macross Saga. Revision taking place
1. 2009 revised

World of Change

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 1: 2009

* * *

Ranma looked out the window of the airplane as it touched down on the runway of a small island in the South Pacific. He had no idea where exactly he was, but that didn't matter, for the sole reason he was there with his mother.

It had been close two months since he started living with his mother full time. Five since she found out about his curse. He would always remember that day. It happened during the winter break. Ranma had been hiding from "Auntie Saotome," who had come over for a surprise visit, as "Ranko." They were seated around the table, drinking tea when "Auntie Saotome" turned to "Ranko," cup in hand, and accidentally spilled her tea on "Ranko" due to the momentum of her turn.

When "Ranko" changed to Ranma, every human and panda in the room feared for Ranma's life. But they were surprised when Nodoka took Ranma in her arms and gave him a much-awaited hug. It hadn't taken her long to realize her son in front of her, and at that moment, the seppuku pledge was the furthest thing in her mind. Ranma gladly returned the hug, and it wasn't long before mother and son were both crying, Ranma not caring about what his father would say.

Ranma didn't immediately start living with his mother. He stayed with the Tendos and his father because of school (well that's what he wanted to people to believe.) Nodoka came by more often to see her son but never her husband, still angry for making her son hide from her over a stupid seppuku pledge and a curse that he caused.

It wasn't until watching the interaction between Ranma and Akane when Nodoka realized from the way they acted, the two families would never join. It was obvious they had some type of feelings for each other but were too afraid to express them. It didn't help that the two so-called adults were pushing too hard get them married. The other girls in Ranma's life weren't helping either.

It was then that Nodoka decided it was her turn to raise her son since Genma had for ten years and never visited her. With hope, the old adage that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" would become true, and that the two teens would admit the feelings they had for each other.

It was February when Nodoka decided to move Ranma out of the Tendo dojo and away from Nerima. The school year was close to ending, so Nodoka didn't feel guilty about pulling Ranma out of school before transferring for the next term. But before that, Nodoka wanted Ranma to see the family he hadn't seen in more than ten years. First they visited her grandfather then spent a week with her parents in Hokkaido. From there they left Japan to end up at their present location.

Exiting the terminal, Ranma was greeted by the sign saying, "Welcome to Macross Island." The name sounded familiar but Ranma couldn't place it. He had yet to question his mother on why they had left Japan, but he figured it was okay to ask now.

"Say, mom, why are we here?"

"See my little brother."

Ranma was surprised to hear this. Mainly because he couldn't remember having an uncle.

"You probably won't remember him, dear" Nodoka continued. "I think you were two the last time you saw him when the air show came to Tokyo. That was before he joined the Global Civil War. That has to be some fifteen years now!"

No sooner had she said that, a green jeep stopped right in front of them. Inside was a blonde man, somewhat foreign looking, around his early 30's, wearing a purple military flight suit. The man stepped out of the jeep, and the first thing Ranma could think about was that this man was tall. But oddly the man seemed familiar to him; Ranma hoped Genma hadn't done anything to this guy.

Ranma was relieved and surprised when the guy picked up his mother and gave her a hug. "M-m-mom!" he stuttered, hoping he hadn't just discovered an indiscretion on the part of his mother.

"Ranma, you really don't remember your Uncle Roy?" Nodoka said.

"This is little Ranma," Roy said. "Boy, you've grown, squirt." And he proceeded to mess up Ranma's hair.

In the deepest recesses of Ranma's mind, the words "Uncle Roy" and the messing of his hair started to bring up latent memories. Memories of a blonde man that took him flying in an old biplane. When he asked if he was the same person, Roy confirmed his notions. Then he noticed that his nametag read Fokker. His mother's family name wasn't Fokker, so he questioned him on that.

"So you're still going by Fokker?" Nodoka asked, as if she already knew about this.

"Ya got me there, sis."

"B-but why would you just change your name?" questioned Ranma.

The two adults explained why he wanted to change his name and how their parents (his grandparents) were understanding. Ranma was still confused, but if his grandparents said it was all right, then it must be okay.

Roy grabbed their bags, and everyone hopped into the jeep. As they headed away from the airport, Roy asked, "What took you so long? I kinda expected you a couple of days ago. And with mom and dad."

"It's mom," Nodoka replied. "She still refuses to fly and is fearful of anyone else in the family doing the same. Though they just could not get enough of the grandson, but they send their love."

Roy understood why his parents weren't there. Their mother wasn't too trusting of air travel since their sister was killed with her newly wedded husband in a freak take off accident. She understood her youngest child fascination with flying, but it didn't stop her from wishing he'd quit.

"Well, it's a good thing you've made it."

"How come, Uncle Roy?" asked Ranma. It just seemed so natural to say Uncle Roy.

"Because we launch in a couple of days."

"Launch for what?"

Roy looked at Nodoka as if asked if something was wrong with his nephew. She clearly understood the look and explained Ranma had been on a training trip for ten years. It seemed that he was oblivious to many events during that time.

So while they drove on, Roy explained the "visitor" to Ranma (including some things he shouldn't have, but hey, they're family).

"So it's this 'visitor' that is launching?"

"Yes, but it's called the SDF-1 now," Roy said.

"Will we be able to see it before it's launched?"

Ranma thought it might be the size of the well-known American spaceships he had seen in history books. He was completely surprised when Roy pointed out that it was the massive structure that dominated the landscape. Simply put, the only thing Ranma could think of that the SDF-1 was huge!

He wondered how come he wasn't able to see as the plane landed. It seemed impossible to miss the blue and silver superstructure. Of course Ranma didn't realize the location of the civilian airport put it away from the restricted airspace of the SDF-1 and the military base.

"Oh, and Rick's suppose to be here any time now," Roy said.

"As in Hunter?" Nodoka asked. Roy nodded his head. "I haven't seen him in a couple of years. What is he, sixteen now?"

While the adults talked, Ranma just stared at the SDF-1. The possibility that there were other beings in the universe was too much for him to comprehend. He had seen some strange things in his seventeen years, but to find out that aliens were real and not made up to sale manga was truly unbelievable.

He came to think of the Tendos, especially Akane. He thought it would've been nice to have brought Akane with them. The weather was nice, and with the cliffs ringing the island, surely he could find excellent spots to train. And who wouldn't be impressed with the ship. Okay, maybe Akane wouldn't like to come here for those reasons, but it would be nice to have the one person he loved more than anything in life (well maybe behind martial arts, his mother, and another girl that he didn't let his father know about) with him in this tropical location.

"Say, Ranma, there's gonna be an air show. We're showin' off our new aircraft," Roy said.

Ranma didn't know what to say. "Ranma's probably not interested in airplanes anymore, Roy. He's too much like his father -"

"I'm nothin' like Pop," Ranma protested. "It's just..." They all heard Ranma's stomach grumble. He was saved from answering as the adults concluded he was hungry. He couldn't say he wasn't interested because he didn't know anything about airplanes. The flight to Macross Island had been the first time he could remember being on a plane.

"If it's because you're hungry, I understand. I can just drop you off at this popular restaurant in town."

_On second thought, maybe it would be nice to see what my uncle does, _Ranma thought, not paying attention to his uncle. "No, I'll wait. Besides, they gave us snacks on the flight."

* * *

The air show was interesting for someone who knew little about airplanes. Ever naïve, Ranma would have liked to ask his uncle why these planes looked different than the one they flew on. For instance, why they had two fin-like thingies instead of one and how come the wing could move from straight out to a pulled back position. But the show was interrupted by another plane. Uncle Roy didn't seem please that Rick Hunter showed up at this time.

_Is this the Rick that mom and Uncle Roy were talking about? _Ranma asked himself. Ranma continued to watch as this small plane flew rings around the other planes. It was amazing. For the first time in his life, Ranma discovered something that could be as exhilarating as martial arts. Little did Ranma realize, he had been bitten by the flying bug.

It was something Genma feared as much as Happosai. From what Genma had learned, flying ran through the blood of the men of Nodoka's family. Ranma's grandfather flew as a member of JSDF, while his great-grandfather flew during World War II. Simply put, it was why they avoided airports at all cost and never flew anywhere. He couldn't risk Ranma becoming like them, jeopardizing his legacy, and the joining of the two schools.

By the time Rick landed on the military runway, Ranma had forgotten about the questions he wanted to ask. Ranma followed his mother as they made their way over to Roy and the guy with unruly black hair.

"You don't have to brag to me, Rick," Roy was saying as they walked up. "I know all about you winning the amateur flying competition last year."

"Not amateur, civilian!" Rick stated.

He was about to say more, when Roy interjected, "Oh, hey, sis," having noticed Nodoka and Ranma making their way over to them. And Nodoka waved at him.

"Rick, I'm pretty sure you remember my sister, Nodoka," Roy said when they gathered together.

Of course Rick remembered Nodoka. As much as he considered Roy his big brother, Nodoka was his big sister. They were the only "family" he had, even if only Nodoka had showed up for his father's funeral and air competitions, though he didn't know how come she wasn't here this year.

Ranma looked at the guy that flew circles around the other planes. He couldn't be any older than himself, and he was able to do all that.

"I'm sorry I missed your last few competitions," Nodoka said.

"Awe, that's all right," Rick replied, scratching the back of his head. "Unlike some people who don't even make an attempt to show up."

"Hey! I've been busy here," Roy stated.

"Yeah, right!" Rick said with a smirk.

Nodoka then introduced Ranma to Rick. Though one could tell it, there was an instant connection between the two teens. Besides, the two had something in common. They have been doing the thing they loved most since both could walk. Rick, at the age of sixteen, was considered the best stunt pilot in the world.

Introductions were short as Roy and Rick continued to give each other some ribbing. Ranma quickly became disinterested in what was happening and thought that maybe now would be a good time to grab something to eat. Then something caught his eye, or more like someone. He saw a girl in a burgundy dress, about fifteen, with long black hair of in the distance. She kind of reminded of a girl he knew in Yokohama. But it couldn't her. She was there the last time he ended up in Yokohama in the fall. This girl was with a little boy, possibly her brother as they tried to get something out of the vending machine. The girl he was thinking of was an only child.

Ranma watched as the two headed off away from the area. But it was still nagging him that this girl looked so familiar. With his track record of remembering people, Ranma just had to make sure it was or wasn't who he thought it was.

"I'll be right back, mom," Ranma said as he started after the girl. It caught everyone's attention, and soon the two adults brought their eyes to the retreating figure of a girl that Ranma seemed to be following.

"Quite a ladies' man, that nephew of mine," Roy stated. "Definitely takes after our family."

"Mostly definitely. Ranma's such a manly man. He has four girls after him back at home," replied Nodoka.

_Poor guy, _thought Rick. He would not wish that on his worst enemy. One was enough for him, granted right now he had none.

They stood there watching Ranma go after the girl when Nodoka felt it would be good for her to follow after her son so that he didn't do anything stupid. Roy jokingly asked if Ranma suffered from the Hasegawa foot in mouth disease. When Nodoka couldn't come up with a readied reply, Roy brought his head back in laughter.

"You sure you don't add him the clan registry. That boy is definitely a Hasegawa," Roy stated.

Nodoka replied that she was thinking about that since she was planning on divorcing Genma when they returned to Japan. Roy was shock to hear this from his sister. She was so traditional that he never thought she would do something like that. Nodoka saw the look in his eyes that made it clear that an explanation was in order. But that would have to wait. Roy was still on duty until 5:00 local time.

* * *

Unknown to anyone on the island, their schedules were about to change.

* * *

Not wanting to run, Ranma followed the girl and boy for a few of minutes, when the smell of food took over his motor skills. It was scent almost as familiar as the taste of Ukyo's okonomiyaki. The girl no longer garnering his attention, Ranma soon ended at the entrance of the White Dragon.

Stepping inside, everything looked so familiar, but Ranma was pretty sure he'd never been on Macross Island during his journey with the old man. Nonetheless, he grabbed table and waited for someone to take his order.

It wasn't long before he was joined by his mom. "Now how did I know that you would find something to eat rather than continue after the girl," Nodoka stated as she sat at the table. "So much like your father."

Ranma hated any comparisons with his father. So much that he vowed to try to change whatever she stated was like his father. Nodoka had been playing on this fact after Ranma told her all that he went through those ten long years. And she started to see the results. Ranma performed better in school in the last trimester (much to Akane's surprise), his speech was losing its roughness, and was losing the notion that women were weak. (That was due from training with his mom. He had no idea she was so fast and that a bokken could really hurt.) He also gained some acceptances of his cursed form. He still didn't like it, but he could deal with it better than those first few months. It helped that he wasn't as big as a water magnet as before.

"But why did you decide to come here?"

"I don't know. The smell just seemed ta bring me here, but this place seems familiar."

It was at this time that someone came to help them. "Welcome to the White Dragon. How can I help you today," came a cheery female voice.

"Just the usual today, Minmei," came Ranma's automated response, recognizing the voice. Then it hit him, what he just said. Looking up, he saw the girl in the burgundy dress, his friend from Yokohama. Lynn Minmei.

Lynn Minmei was use to customers asking for their usual meal, but this time is was different. She recognized the voice as being one she hadn't heard since moving in with her aunt and uncle on Macross. Looking at the guy, she recognized the Chinese shirt, the blue eyes, and definitely the pigtail.

Jumping into his arm to give him a hug, Minmei said, "Big brother!"

"B-big brother," Nodoka sputtered out.

"I-I can explain," Ranma said, not showing his usual discomfort towards girls.

* * *

The scene on the bridge of the SDF-1 could be considered controlled commotion. Manned by a five person, all female crew, they busily went about their business, working on checklists in preparation for the ship's maiden voyage. And in control of the all this was Lieutenant Commander Lisa Hayes, First Officer and Operations Officer of the SDF-1. At only 18 years of age, Lisa could be considered one of the few to know every aspect of the ship. This helped her rise rapidly up the ranks of the United Earth Defense Forces since being assigned to the SDF-1, her first assignment after graduated from the academy. Her personal life suffered because of this, but she didn't care. Her career was her life much like her father, Admiral Donald Hayes.

Lisa's station was forward of the captain's seat, facing the "window." The station next to Lisa belonged to Lieutenant Claudia Grant, Chief Weaponry Officer and Navigator. Claudia was five years older than Lisa and considered herself a friend/mentor to the young lady, having worked with Lisa for the past two years.

The rest of the crew were young lieutenants not long out of the academy: Vanessa Leeds (Radar), Kim Young (Ship Administration), and Sammie Porter (Communications, Substitute Operations Officer). These three had also been dubbed as the Bridge Bunnies by the various fighter pilots assigned to Macross Island.

The day had gone smoothly until Lisa accidentally routed a civilian aircraft in the direction of the air show. Things quickly resettled not long afterwards, and the crew went about their business. At that very moment, various systems started to activate, and the ship rumbled and moved as if it had a life of its own.

The bow separated in preparations for the main gun to fire. At least that's what Lisa and Claudia speculated since the main gun had yet to be tested. Under that speculation, they did all they could in an attempt to stop the firing. It proved to be all for not. A few moments after the ship started to "live," the main gun fired, sending a bolt of energy up and out of Earth's atmosphere.

All though he bumped his head on the bulkhead, the commander of the SDF-1 entered the bridge unnoticed. Captain Henry Gloval was on the reconnaissance team that first entered the SDF-1 back in 1999 (then known as the ASS-1) and stayed with the project ever since. "What's going on?" he asked in his accented Russian voice.

"We're still trying to figure that out, Captain," replied Claudia. "But we are just now regaining control of all systems."

Gloval stood there, silent for a second, but soon had a realization. Slumping down in his chair, he felt older than he had just a few seconds ago.

* * *

At that same moment, Roy was showing Rick what had kept him away for the last few years. They were sitting in a VF-1D Veritech Fighter with Roy explaining to Rick about the thing made the plane special. Rick didn't really care. He didn't care that much for the military (highly influenced by his father). But he sat in the lead seat and wore a flight helmet, or what Roy called a "thinking cap," so as to humor him.

When the main gun went off, the two were startled. But Roy soon snapped out it and hopped out of the cockpit. Something was up, and Lieutenant Commander Roy Fokker was soon going to be needed.

"What's going on, Roy?"

"I don't know," Roy replied. "But stay right there. If anything happens, you should be safe there." Roy only said that because that plane, VT-120, had been taken off flight duty so that it could be used as a display.

Roy took off, heading for the ready room. Then he suddenly remembered Nodoka and Ranma. He had no clue where they were, and there was going to be no way to find out. He just hoped if anything started to happen on the island, they'd be able to get to one of the shelters.

* * *

At that same moment in the White Dragon, Minmei was finishing up the story that Ranma started from her perspective. Nodoka found it nice that Ranma had been so kind and nice to help what she thought was a sweet girl. But there was one question that she needed to know.

"You wouldn't know if your parents engaged you to my son?"

Ranma's head hit the table, shocked that his mother would ask something like that. That was when the Earth started to shake. Feeling much like an earthquake, restaurant patrons started ducking for cover. Ranma, very protectively, grabbed his mother and Minmei and brought them underneath the table. Then he proceeded to place his body between them and the table. Nodoka noted how protective Ranma was of this girl. It wasn't protective as he was with Akane, but as if Minmei really was his sister.

And just as sudden that the shaking started, it stopped. Hesitantly coming from under the tables, everyone saw that there was no damage inside or out.

"Um...Was that supposed to be an earthquake?" asked Ranma. Nodoka looked at Ranma as if saying she wasn't sure. She had been in more of them than Ranma, but that didn't feel like any quake she'd been through.

A short, rotund man and a tall woman came out from the kitchen, followed closely by the boy that was with Minmei at the air show. They quickly spot Minmei standing close to Ranma.

"Minmei, are you okay?" the woman asked.

"I'm fine, Aunt Lena, especially with Ranma here to protect me," replied Minmei.

It was then the couple really noticed the boy with the innocent look on his face. The guy tried to get a closer look at him, almost as if he was inspecting Ranma. Of course this only made Ranma feel nervous.

"Sir, I would have to ask that you not look at my son in that manner," Nodoka spoke in a gentle tone, but it had the desired effect. The man quickly backed away from Ranma.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am," the man said. "It's just that we've heard so much of this Ranma from our Minmei that I wanted see if this was the same person she'd described. Frankly I was expecting more."

He was given a nudge from the woman, obviously his wife. She couldn't believe he would say that about another woman's child in their presence.

"I'm sorry for my husband," the woman said. She then bowed to Ranma. "Thank you for being around when my niece was younger. I'm Lena. This is my husband, Max and our youngest son, Jason."

Ranma returned the bow. "Ahhhh, it ain't nothin'. I was only doing my job as a martial artist. I just don't like it when people bully others." Then he received a nudge from Nodoka for being rude and not introducing her. It took Ranma awhile and a clearing of Nodoka's throat to realize his mistake. "Oh, um, this is my mother, Nodoka Saotome."

Nodoka bowed to the Lynns, who bowed in return.

"You have a very honorable son, Mrs. Saotome," Lena said.

"Thank you." _Though no thanks to his father, _Nodoka added to herself.

* * *

High above Lunar orbit sat a fleet of alien spaceships, numbering in the thousands. The fleet belonged to a race called the Zentraedi, and they were there to reclaim the SDF-1 (referred by them as Zor's Battlefortress). At the head of this fleet was its flagship. The ship was many times the size of the craft they were sent to retrieve and bristled with weapons. Colored green, it looked very organic and very menacing.

Inside the vessel, as well as all the others, were Goliaths bred for war. And in charge of this fleet was one of the tallest Zentraedi, Commander Breetai, stood in the transparent command bubble with his aide, the diminutive Exedore. They had just watched their target unleash a destructive beam of Reflex energy upon a scout team.

Breetai crossed his arms in satisfaction, knowing that their target was on this blue and white planet. He deployed the fleet in preparation to capture the battle fortress. He remembered the last time he saw it when it disappeared from the quadrant of the known universe where the Zentraedi reigned supreme. Of course he had a constant reminder of that day with metallic cowl that covered that right side of his head from the wound received protecting the creator of the battle fortress, Zor.

* * *

"Well, we'd figured something like this might happen," Captain Gloval said, having regained his composure.

"Something like what, Captain?" Claudia asked. All of their attention was now on him, looking for leadership.

"Some believed that the ship might've been booby trapped."

"Booby trapped?" questioned Lisa.

Gloval explained, "There is a theory that the ship was intentional sent here by its prior owner, and that owner might not want it retrieved. It's only natural to setup some type of trap."

Though Sammie was trying to pay attention to what the captain was saying, her attention was drawn back to the job at hand. "Sir, report's coming in, showing what the main gun fired at."

Lisa turned to her station to look at the report. "It appears it struck two large objects, presumably spacecrafts, origin unknown, on an approach vector about two hundred miles out."

Gloval sat there, taking in the information. It was obvious what was next for him to do. Aliens had finally arrived to reclaim the battle fortress. The main gun had most likely only destroyed a recon team, meaning there were probably more ships come soon. He couldn't simply let them come down to Earth and take the SDF-1 back, not after all the money devoted in its reconstruction.

Reaching in his coat pocket, Gloval brought out his pipe, ready to smoke like he always did whenever he was about to make an important decision. Unfortunately he only got as far putting it in his mouth, when he heard the clearing of someone's throat. "Captain Gloval, there is no smoking on the bridge," piped up Sammie. "It's against regulations."

Both Lisa and Claudia couldn't believe Sammie did that.

"T-That's right," replied a startled Gloval. "I was just holding it, that's all." Hoping that would be all on that subject, Gloval ordered to scramble all the fighters, including those stationed on the two supercarriers, the _Daedalus_ and _Prometheus_, anchored in the harbor and sound general quarters. The latter meant the island of Macross was on red alert, which also meant it was time to get the civilians to the specially built shelters.

For all intent and purpose, Earth was at war due to the firing of the main gun.

Roy, in his role of Commander of Air Group, was waiting for that order and scrambled the SDF-1's fighter squadron in record time. They ascended into the atmosphere and prepared to combat whatever came into the atmosphere.

* * *

Battle raged out in space between the Earth Forces and the Zentraedi. The crafts the Earth Forces were much different than those flown by the squadrons of the SDF-1. This crafts came from the Armor-class carriers being used as an orbital defense network. So they also opened fire with various missiles, Stilettos, Piledrivers, and Mongooses, along with lasers, and kinetic energy weapons, such as rail gun autocannons.

These types of weaponry confused Breetai because they were quite primitive in comparison to that use in their first attack.

"They've put up a very heavy resistance," stated Exedore.

"That's quite true," replied Breetai, in his booming voice. "But with the weapons they're using, our ships will pass right through. This must be some type of trick."

Exedore contemplated this. Since they knew nothing of the race in possession of Zor's ship, this maybe a ploy to give the Zentraedi a false sense of security. "That maybe so, Lord Breetai. But it's also puzzling."

Breetai was set to comment when a voice entered the command bubble. "Lord Breetai, two enemy ships are making their way towards us. It's possible that they were involved in the missile bombardment moments ago."

Breetai was not about to let them come any closer. With a cold smile that seemed to provide a glint in his eye, Breetai ordered, "Destroy them!"

It didn't take long for the laser barrage to tear into ARMD-02 and 10. ARMD-02 took the full force of the first volley. It tried to evade the streaks of blue energy, but it was difficult with house-size hole being created throughout ARMD-02.

Breetai watched the damage being created and waited for the enemy to retaliate using the reflex weapons it's already displayed. When none came, he started laughing. "This must be a joke or these idiots don't know how to use their own weapons. All cannons, full barrage!"

That pretty much sealed the fate of ARMD-02. Within seconds, it was complete destroyed, while ARMD-10 suffered some serious damage before it decided to withdraw from the scene.

* * *

"Sir, ARMD-10 reports that ARMD-02 has been destroyed, and it has been serious damage also," reported Lisa.

Gloval knew that wasn't good. Next to the SDF-1 and the Veritech fighters, the Armor carriers were Earth's most advanced weapons. And the enemy didn't take long reduce their Orbital Defense Force to shambles. It was now up to the Robotech Defense Force to protect the Earth destruction.

"Lisa, inform Commander Fokker that the enemy will be entering Earth's atmosphere soon. And provide him with coordinates."

"Aye, Captain."

* * *

"All right, fellas," Roy said over the tactical network after receiving Lisa's message. "Command just declared hunting season open." He went on to relay the coordinates to the pilots. Then in VT-001 with the familiar Jolly Roger on the tailfins, he led them into battle. For the first time since 2007, the skies of Earth became a killing field.

Breetai and Exedore watched the new battle that raged and noticed things were turning out differently. They were still fought with the same ferocity, but there seemed to be better fighting tactics. Maybe it had something to do with transformations that the fighters seemed to undergoing. Some were the fighters, others transformed into a metallic winged looking creature, while still others transformed to look like beings the size of them. They still didn't use reflex weapons, but they were destroying their advance attack team nonetheless. Luckily the ground attack teams had slipped through.

* * *

Rick was bored with just sitting in the plane. So bored that he had propped up his feet outside the cockpit, slid the helmet over his eyes, and proceeded to take a nap. In the midst of dreaming about flying in his fanjet to another title, he faintly heard a female's voice saying, "This SDF-1 control calling VT-120, please come in." This was repeated about five times before Rick finally realized that it wasn't part of his dream.

"…combat alert. Why haven't you taken off?" asked a brunette that was on a screen in front of him.

"Huh," Rick said while yawning and stretching himself awake. "Whaddaya talkin' about?"

It was obvious that the lady didn't like the fact that Rick had ignored her. But it wasn't his fault. Roy told him to wait in the plane, and he had fell asleep.

"What are you still doing out the ground, mister," the lady said. "We are on combat alert and you need to take off and join your wingmate."

Hearing that he needed to get the plane off the ground finally woke him up. "Hey, I can't fly this plane. I'm only a civilian pilot." As much as he hated admitting that, he was looking way not to join the fight. He wasn't a soldier and wanted nothing to do with the military.

"Are you looking for a court martial?" the lady asked, not even hearing him. "I want you off the ground two minutes ago. You're fully armed, so move before you overheat the engines. Use Runway Two."

Rick could clearly tell there was no way for him to get out of this. Following the lady's instructions, he taxied to Runway Two, and after applying power to the engine, he was off the ground and on his way. That was the easy part; even though there more controls in the cockpit than _Mockingbird_, it had all the necessary controls to take off and fly.

Rick made his way through the atmosphere. He had no clue where he was headed. He just flew to the coordinates that the lady gave him. It wasn't long before he burst through the clouds and entered the action. There was fighting everywhere he saw through the canopy. There were many planes much like the one he was flying (similar to the old Grumman F-14 Tomcat of the United States Navy), but there were also green colored aircrafts of which he'd never seen before. It was no doubt that they were the enemy. It also help him realized that by the fact they were the ones shooting at him.

He ducked and dodged their fire the best he could until a Veritech labeled VT-001 with the Jolly Roger painted on its tailfins flew up to him.

"Rick, what the hell are you doing up here," said Roy, appearing on one of the monitors in the cockpit.

"Roy, is that you," Rick said thankful his "big brother" had shown up. Then he realized how stupid that sounded. "Well, some lady told me that either I get in the air or I'll get court martialed."

Roy knew exactly who it was and cursed, saying that kid was going to get them killed. "Look, stay on my wing, try not to get shot, and I'll get you back on the ground. Okay."

Rick nodded his head and fell into the wingman position. He executed every maneuver as Roy, but unfortunately he was unable to prevent himself from being shot. The minute he was hit, he panicked, thus lost control of the Veritech and plummeted and spun towards Macross Island.

Roy watched his friend descend rapidly to Earth. "Rick, climb and bank," he said of the net. He desperately wanted to help his friend, but the enemy was making it impossible for him to break away.

Rick heard Roy's voice and was brought out his panicked state. He got a firm grip on the controls and pulled the stick back in order to climb. But the Veritech had lost power, so they were not responding. He starting trying everything his father taught him in order to regain control, but it was all for not as Macross Island grew bigger through the canopy.

"I've had it, Roy. I can't regain control of the plane."

Right then the brunette reappeared on the cockpit monitor. "This is SDF-1 control calling VT-120. Pull out! You're headed right for us."

"Lady, I'm trying, but nothing seems to respond!" replied Rick.

"Have you tried going to configuration B?"

"Huh! B. What B?"

"You don't know!" The lady was surprise to hear that. She thought that it might have something to do with shock. "Listen, pull the B level on the instrument panel on your left."

Once again Rick did as the lady instructed and pulled the level marked B. Immediately he felt something happening to the Veritech, starting with leveling out.

Outside the tail section folded up behind the canopy and the engine potion dropped down to form what appeared to be legs.

Just as his speed started to decrease, he crashed into a building. While plowing through a row of buildings, he felt the nose start to move. He was quite confused as to what was going on, especially when the canopy was suddenly covered up and the seat changed position.

When finally he stopped, he was alive yet disoriented. One thing he knew, this definitely wasn't the plane he was napping in.

* * *

Author's note:

You may notice the ages for some of the Robotech characters are younger than written. The ages used are those of their Macross counterparts, thanks to the Macross Compendium.

Addendum: To make the ages in accordance to the Macross Compendium, Lisa's age now is reflecting the fact her birth date is March 3 1990, and the SDF-1 mistaken jump to Pluto happens on February 27, 2009.

Revised note:

Revision finally being done to bring it in line with the rest of the story before writing the final chapter.


	2. Changed World revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 2: Changed World

* * *

Rick's descent came to a stop right across from the White Dragon. The people in the surrounding building came out to see what all the commotion was, including the occupants of said restaurant. The Lynns and Saotomes peered their heads through the door, and what they saw seemed unreal. There was a robot standing about 42 feet high, mostly tan with burnt orange on what would be its chest, head, and the sides of the lower leg, and what appeared to be a black gun attached to its forearm. It kind of reminded Ranma of the robots he'd seen in anime. But it was impossible for them to be real. They were purely science fiction.

"Hey, Minmei, come, look," Jason said, running back to the building. How he got outside, nobody knew.

Minmei ran outside to grab Jason and bring him back inside. Ranma felt the natural inclination to follow her and protect to them from the giant. But he was one step out the door before remembering that he would also need to protect his mother.

"Jason, you shouldn't be out there," Minmei said, taking Jason her embrace. "You could get yourself killed."

"I'll be all right, Minmei," Jason replied, detaching himself from his cousin. "Come on. Let's get a closer look."

Jason ran back into the restaurant and up the stairs to the residential potion of the building. Minmei followed, asking him to wait up. As they ran up the stairs, Lena wanted the two to be careful.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll make sure they're okay," Ranma said, going after them.

* * *

"Captain, radar's showing twenty-four unidentifiable objects descending into the ocean, approximately 30 miles away from Macross Island," reported Vanessa.

"And how come I'm just now finding out about this?" Gloval asked, walking over to Vanessa's station and watched the blips move closer to what would be the ocean.

Vanessa explained how the firing of the main gun was draining energy essential to the radar. This was a serious situation. With the squadron currently engaged with the enemy, there were no Veritechs to provide the island cover. It would be reiterated if he had to order Lisa to recall Commander Fokker.

But right now, he needed something to scout the area.

"Lisa, order _Prometheus_ to send out reconnaissance choppers to that area."

"All ready done sir."

"Mind reader." Lisa was embarrassed by the comment.

Gloval moved between Lisa and Claudia's stations to look out the window to spot the choppers. It wasn't long before the pilot of the flight of two helicopters reported being unable to find anything, to which Lisa said to keep look. It could not have been more than a minute later that the sounds of laser fire were heard over the net, followed by the panicked voices of the crews reporting that they were being fired upon. Seconds later, the only thing they heard was static.

"They're gone, sir," Lisa said.

Gloval knew what the next decision must be. But could he really demand that from a highly inexperienced crew?

"Well, it's a good thing that we finished the ship in time," said a male's voice from behind. Gloval turned around to see Senator Alfonso Russo walking onto the bridge. It was unusual to see one of the leaders of the United Earth Government onboard the SDF-1, seeing that they avoided it like the plague. "So when do you take off?"

Gloval knew that this was going to be asked by HQ sooner or later, though he never thought Senator Russo would come with that request. "We're simply not ready."

That wasn't the response that Russo wanted to hear. "What do you mean you're not ready? We've invested billions in the rebuilding this thing. I do not want this ship destroyed while on the ground!"

"You can't expect me to take a ship of raw recruits into battle against an unknown enemy."

Russo wasn't hearing it. "I'm ordering you to take off. Is that understood, Captain?"

Gloval relented. He then offered the captain's seat to the senator, saying they'd be off in a few moments. That was the last thing that Russo wanted to do. He was a politician; space was the last place he wanted to be. So he told Gloval to take off once he was off the battle fortress.

With Russo gone, Gloval once again sat down and thought, _We aren't ready for combat._

* * *

Minmei, Jason, and Ranma entered Minmei's bedroom and got a clear view of the robot. Jason could barely contain his excitement, seeing a real robot. The moment they reached the window, there was movement from the robot. Its head swung forward, which created gasped from those gathered. Some scurried for cover not wanting to be around. Then there was the sound of moving gears, followed by the appearance of an empty chair.

"There's nobody in there," Jason said with a tone of disappointment.

But he wasn't disappointed for long. The sounds of moving gears returned. Another chair appeared, this time with somebody in it. It was a guy wearing an orange flight suit and a white helmet with a blue top, red trim around the side and four red rectangular projections on the front.

Ranma recognized the flight suit but couldn't believe it might be the same person. "Rick, is that you?"

Rick was a bit groggy from his recent experience, but upon hearing his name, he looked up and saw what appeared to be Nodoka's son along with a girl and another boy. Though there was some distances between them, he could clearly tell that the girl was rather attractive. In fact she was the most attractive he'd ever seen. He thought back to Ranma leaving after a girl and hoped she wasn't the one he was after.

"...there?"

Rick suddenly realized Ranma was talking to him. "Oh, hey, Ranma. 'Ey, what does this look like to you?" Rick asked.

"Some sort of robot," answered Minmei. She looked at Rick and thought he had a handsome face.

Rick gasped in astonishment. He told them that when he first got in it, it was an airplane. Both Minmei and Jason commented about it being a convertible airplane. Being the kid that he was, Jason immediately jinxed Minmei, making her unable to talk (game rules).

"How did you get in there?" Ranma asked.

"Well, your uncle was showing me the controls when the ship shot this energy beam into the sky. Then he left. Afterwards some lady's tellin' me to take off and join the fight," explained Rick.

Rick was interrupted by a car horn. The White Dragon had the fortune of being located on the main road leading to the SDF-1. So it was normal for there to be a convoy passing through at all hours of the day, and natural for a truck to blow its horn because the robot was causing a delay to the fortress. "Move that thing," called up the driver.

"Looks like I have to go," Rick commented to the room across from him.

"Good luck," said Minmei.

"Thanks," Rick replied.

_What was that about?_ Ranma asked himself.

Rick got in the seat and lowered himself back into the robot. He knew he had to move it, but he didn't know how. There were just too many controls. Hoping for some luck, he moved the stick forward and pressed on one of the foot pedals and got a response with the robot lunged forward.

That was all the luck he had. The next move the robot made was backwards. Panicked, he pushed some buttons, and suddenly the back thrusters turned on, propelling the robot forward and towards the White Dragon. He watched it all through the viewscreen as the head plowed through the room Ranma and the others were in. Ranma grabbed Minmei and Jason and moved to the door as fast as he could while the parents ran out of the building.

When the robot finally stopped, Ranma and the others were huddled near the door, now blocked by debris.

"Are you guys okay?" Rick asked after spotting the three.

"Yeah, but no thanks to you!" Ranma shot back.

Through all that commotion, the convoy made their way to the SDF-1.

* * *

"Thank you, Vanessa," Gloval said in response to the report she'd just given him from headquarters, informing them of the status of ARMD-01 and 10.

"Claudia, what's the status of the reflex furnace?"

Claudia studied her displayed and spoke with the engine room before giving Captain Gloval an answer. "Furnace back to full power and ready to go."

Gloval was still unsure what reflex power was. It was a termed created by Doctor Emil Lang, the only scientist on that reconnaissance mission inside the "visitor." Even his contemporaries didn't have a clue what it was. But it, according to Dr. Lang, provided power to the engines.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking of that. "Very good. Antigravity, full thrust!"

"Aye, aye, Captain. Full thrust," Kim's voice rang out.

With that order, final preparations for the launch began. The ship once again seemed to come alive as it started shaking and reverberating. Countdowns and final checklists came from the girls until only Claudia's voice could be heard.

"...three...two...one..."

"Full power to the antigravity control system," ordered Gloval.

The city shook as the SDF-1 slowly rose from its keel blocks. Its ascension was slow and steady, but it was leaving the ground nonetheless. Lisa reported that the gyroscope was level, to which Gloval only nodded.

That was the last thing to go right. No sooner had Gloval nodded, a tremor, not associated with lift off, was felt throughout the ship, and the ship started listing to the port side. Gloval gave orders to level off the ship but nothing happened. When it didn't, Claudia suggested it could be the gyroscope.

Lisa was the first to see the problem and brought it to everyone's attention. Bulges started to form along the upper hull. Then the hull started ripping and breaking apart until cylinders the size of rail cars broke away and up from the ship.

"Oh no! The gravity pods are breaking away!" Lisa almost whispered in shock.

Gloval had to get a closer look to make sure he was seeing what was actually happening. Sure enough, the things responsible for lifting the SDF-1 off the ground were flying away. "Please tell me this isn't happen," he said to himself.

"What was that, sir?" Lisa asked unsure if she heard him say something.

"Sir, we're losing altitude," reported Claudia.

Gloval stated that this was a nightmare.

The descent was faster then the ascent. When it finally crashed back into its keel blocks, everyone was thrown to the floor. The ship, itself, was saved from greater damage by the impact absorption systems.

When it was all said and done, the SDF-1 had lost the gravity pods and listed 15° to port.

After making sure everyone was okay, Gloval asked for a damage report and systems check. The bridge off on their tasks, he said to Lisa, "They'll never let me live this down."

"You can't blame yourself for this," she replied.

"But I'm the captain," was his response.

* * *

Back at the White Dragon, things weren't going too well. For one thing, the robot was still in it. Rick sat, unable to do a thing. The people had somehow come upon a crane and had hooked it up to the robot. Slowly but surely they started to lift the robot up and away from the restaurant. After a few minutes, they finally had it back on its feet.

But it wasn't for long. As soon as it was vertical, it started wobbling towards to the building. Lucky Rick was able to stop its forward momentum. But in doing so, it started backward. This time the thruster did not come online, thus Rick crashed into the building across from the White Dragon.

Rick just wasn't having a good time of things.

And he definitely wasn't on Nodoka's son's good side. "Boy, if that's one of the military planes my uncle's flying, I hope Rick doesn't join him," Ranma commented, "or he'll do more damage than an enemy." And this was coming from the person that caused the most property damage in one ward of Tokyo in over a half century.

* * *

After repelling the initial wave, Roy led Skull Squadron back to Macross Island. There were losses amongst his squadron as with all the others. For a first contact with the enemy, things went well.

Now that was over, he could concern himself with his big sister and nephew. He wasn't sure if they were safe at the moment. He needed to tell them about the shelters in case the enemy decided to invade the island. He couldn't live with himself if he had to bury any more members of his family.

Roy also needed to find out what happened to Rick. He saw him start to mechamorphisize, a metamorphosis of the Veritech fighter into forms designed for fighting the Zentraedi hand-to-hand. Now he just needed to find where he ended up. "This Skull Leader to SDF-1. We are returning home after repelling the enemy. They have returned to space," Roy reported.

Lisa's face appeared on the tac-net screen. "That's commendable, Commander Fokker. You-"

Lisa was cut off as she was pushed aside and appeared a auburn-haired black woman. It was well known fact that Roy Fokker and Claudia Grant were in a serious relationship. It was even rumored that the two were engaged to marry after the shakedown cruise of the SDF-1.

"And how many did you shoot down?"

"Ah, only ten this time," he replied, trying to be modest.

"You're slippin', Roy."

Roy wanted to remark that, considering he hadn't flown real combat since becoming the test pilot for the Veritech project it was a pretty good tally. But he gave her one of his patented smile and said, "I'll get 'em next time. By the way, do you know where VT-120 is?"

Lisa regained her position so she could talk to Roy. "That section eight! He's currently in restaurant district making a mess in a Battloid."

Roy laughed. "Thanks, Lisa!"

"Who is that pilot?" she asked. "He's definitely not qualified to fly fighters."

"Don't worry. I know him," Roy answered. "Well I better go check in on him. Over and Out." He ended his conversation with Lisa then switched over to the tac-net to speak with Skull Squadron.

"Skull Leader to group. You guys head to _Prometheus_. I have something to do in the city. Captain Kramer, lead 'em home."

"Will do, boss."

Roy broke formation and made his way to Macross City. His goal was to get Rick at least back the military side of Macross Island, then find his family and either make sure they get to a shelter or even better, get them on board the SDF-1. The latter was less likely, but maybe the captain would generous and allow it since he'd sacrificed family for a stable RDF.

It didn't take him long to find Rick. All he had to do was follow the path of destruction that led right to him as the Battloid sitting on a building, sporting some damage to the fuselage. As he came in for a landing, he pulled the B lever to switch to Battloid.

People on the ground watched the white fighter on its approach change forms. They saw was exactly what Rick's fighter went through while crashing through the surrounding buildings. When it stopped, it looked almost identical to the one sitting on the building, except it was white with four antennae on its head and the skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger across its center.

"It seems you've been havin' a good ole time, little brother," Roy said as he walked up to Rick.

Rick wasn't in the mood for this. He was in a plane that he wasn't familiar with. He'd been thrown into combat, shot down, and worst of all, created havoc and with no control to stop it.

"Roy, I want out of this thing."

"I'm sorry you got caught up in all this," Roy apologized. "That Veritech wasn't supposed to be on the active roster. Unfortunately we have to get you back to base before you can get out. Can you at least move?"

"I don't want to move. There're too many instruments in here!"

Roy saw the damage to the Battloid. It could be some of the cause for Rick's problem. "Look, I'm gonna try to get you up and running, and while I do, I'll explain the control."

While Roy was doing this, word came for all the civilians to get to the shelters. Nodoka and Ranma were in a bind. They weren't sure if they should go with the residents, since officially they were guest of Lieutenant Commander Roy Fokker, but they had no clue how to get in contact with Roy at the moment. Nodoka thought maybe they should go to the military base. Ranma was set to agree when Max and Lena explained there was plenty of room in the shelters. If that was the case, it was okay to go to the shelter then meet up with Roy later.

In time Roy finished his repairs. "Okay, see if you can stand up own by doin' what I told you."

Rick did as Roy told him, and miraculously he was standing. Minmei and Jason were the only two paying attention and cheered at Rick's improvement.

"Jason. Minmei," called Lena.

Minmei understood that her aunt was trying to regain their attention. "Bye and good luck." Minmei waved to the Battloid Rick was in. "We're being evacuated so we have to go now."

Roy saw the girl that was talking to Rick, and said, "Let's get movin' there, lover boy. Your girlfriend will be waiting when you're out of that Veritech." He watched the girl, along with probably her little brother, ran up to the group heading to the shelter that was nearby. He didn't notice that Nodoka and Ranma were amongst them.

"Roy, I'm still not comfortable with the control," Rick admitted.

"Okay, pull the G lever to go into Guardian mode."

Rick did just that, and the Veritech changed again. This time when it was over, it lost height. At least it looked more like a plane; that is if planes had arms and legs. At least he was able to look out the canopy.

Roy followed him into Guardian mode. "You will see that the controls are the similar to the fighter. You could fly the fighter, right?"

"Sure," Rick replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"So let's get goin'."

They made their way from what used to be the White Dragon restaurant. The Guardians moved across the land as if they were hovering. They would be back on the base in no time, but Roy wasn't informed about the Zentraedi being on the island.

* * *

High above, lasers started raining down, clearing a path for the Zentraedi Battlepods. When the first pilots saw them, the description came back as headless ostriches bristling with lasers.

Veritechs, returning from the previous encounter, were quickly rearmed and sent back into action. When they came across the Battlepods, they soon found out that it wasn't going to be as easy as fighting their "fighters." It was clear that the Battlepods were making their way towards the SDF-1, so the Veritechs all went to Battloid mode and set up a defensive circle around the fortress, using their 55mm Gatling autocannon with transuranium-tipped ammunition.

With commotion off in the distances, the Lynns and the Saotomes were set to enter the shelter when Minmei remembered she left something important to her back in the restaurant. Not knowing when she'd be able to return, she just had to go back and get it. Lena protested, but Ranma said he'd go with her. That placated her slightly, but she didn't like the fact two teens were heading back into a dangerous area, and neither did Nodoka.

Elsewhere, Roy and Rick were still hovering along, avoiding any signs of combat. Rick vocalized his dislike of the lasers and slugs flying through the air.

"Concerned about your girlfriend, 'ey?" Roy asked. "We can go check on her."

"Can we?"

"Sure." And they both veered off and headed in the direction of the shelter near their prior location.

* * *

Ranma and Minmei were making their way back to the restaurant, ducking and dodging falling rubble. Ranma had never seen anything like this. He wanted to get Minmei back to the restaurant as fast as possible. For him, that meant roof-hopping, but with a battle raging around them, that was dangerous to their health. Besides, there weren't that many roofs left to hop across. But they could cover more ground if he carried her. Without warning her, Ranma picked Minmei off the ground and took off running. Minmei was momentarily stunned but soon realized what Ranma was doing, so she held on to him tightly.

Now that she was cradled in Ranma's arms, Minmei could see a Battlepod appearing behind them. "Ah, Ranma. There's something behind us!" she cried out.

But Ranma knew they were being followed because her grip tightened and the sound of mechanical steps. All he could hope to do was outrun it. Unfortunately the Battlepod easily outpaced him. Fortunately for Ranma and Minmei, Roy and Rick were not that far away. The sight of his nephew being chased by a Battlepod upset Roy, and immediately brought his autocannon to bear and torn into the Battlepod, then lowered the nose of the Guardian to the ground to protect the two from the resulting shrapnel.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

Ranma recognized the voice of his uncle and looked up and saw him in the cockpit of the white plane. He then looked at Minmei, seeing that she was all right. "Yeah, we're okay, Uncle Roy."

"Ranma, where's your mother?" Roy asked.

"She's in the shelter," Ranma replied. Roy sighed in relief hearing his big sister was safe.

Just then more Battlepods appeared. Roy transformed into a Battloid and told Rick to take Ranma and girl away from there. Rick was hesitant in doing what Roy asked or should he say ordered but didn't stay that way very long as lasers started flying past him.

Grabbing Ranma in the right hand and Minmei in the left, he started hovering away. More Battlepods were upon him. In an attempt to lose them, Rick started to gain altitude, not knowing if the Battlepods could. He felt lucky when he looked and saw they weren't following.

Instead, a laser shot out from one of them and hit the joint that connected the left forearm the arm. The arm fell away, and the hand opened up, releasing Minmei. Both forearm and Minmei started plummeting to earth.

Ranma screamed, "Minmei!" as he watched her fall. Gathering all of his strength, he pried open the Guardian's hand and dove towards Minmei. In no time he caught up and took her into his embrace. No sooner had he done that, Rick came upon them. With the canopy open, he reached out and grabbed Ranma's now outstretched hand and brought the two into the cockpit.

With them inside now, Rick fired the thrusters and brought the Guardian to a safe landing. Huffing, Rick was more exhausting flying the Veritech than he'd ever been in his life.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked.

Ranma looked at Minmei, who had passed out, probably from the shock of freefall. But she looked all right nonetheless. "We're okay," he replied.

Rick gave a sigh of relief. With the harrowing events around him, he didn't feel like going up to Nodoka and tell her he was responsible for her son's death.

With the sigh, he took his sight at what was in front, and in that brief moment, a Battlepod appeared from behind a building, one of the few still standing. Ranma was the first to see it and quickly warned Rick. Rick saw it but there wasn't enough time to avoid it due to their pace. The Veritech ended up clipping the Battlepod legs. In return, the Guardian tumbled over itself.

When Rick finally regained control, he found Ranma unconscious, most likely hitting his head on the top of the canopy. He looked out and saw the Battlepod had righted itself and was making its way towards them. With an almost instinctual reaction, he brought the autocannon to bear and opened fire. One continuous stream of ammo hit the pod, stopping it dead. Rick gave another sigh, but that relief didn't last long. The hatch to the pod opened and from it stepped the Zentraedi pilot in full battle armor.

The first thing that went through Rick's head was of disbelief as Goliath walked towards him. With all of the different depictions of aliens while growing up, he never suspected them to be human-shaped. The Zentraedi took off his helmet, giving Rick a great look at its human face. Frightened even more, he pulled the trigger once again, but nothing came out. Realizing he had no ammunition, he started shaking in fear.

The giant was near him when he heard gunfire. The Zentraedi fell dead, arm outstretched to the Guardian. Rick could hear the sound of mechanical footsteps but could not see what had shot the alien through the pervasive mist in front of him. Soon he could make out the silhouette of a Battloid with the Jolly Roger and was relieved to see Roy in Skull One.

"Is everyone okay?" Roy asked, appearing on the display.

"W-What the hell is t-that?" Rick stammered out as a reply.

"That is the enemy and the reason behind the development of the Battloid," Roy replied.

"B-But that guy looks human."

"Yeah, a fifty foot tall human."

* * *

"Engineering reports that back up rockets are all fuel up and ready to fire," Claudia said

"Good. How goes the evacuation, Lisa?" Gloval responded.

"All the civilians are in the shelters," Lisa answered. "Nothing but fighting is going on in the city now, sir."

"Good," Gloval replied. "Bring up the boosters. We're blasting off immediately."

Lisa hoped the events of the first attempted take off did not repeat itself. So she questioned herself, "I hope they work?"

She didn't mean for anybody to hear, but Captain Gloval did. "Oh, they'll work, for they were built right here on Earth."

Gloval took his seat as Claudia began another countdown. As she approached zero, the boosters came alive. When she reached zero, they were at full power, and Gloval gave the command to lift off. Once again the ground rumbled as the SDF-1 left what remained of the keel blocks. This time the ascent was faster and smoother.

When they reached a point that he felt safe and that they weren't going to crash again, Captain Gloval ordered Lisa to call Skull Leader to provide air support.

* * *

"Roger that, Control," Roy said as Lisa disappeared off the tac-net screen. He pulled Rick up on the tac-net. It was obvious that Rick was still shaken up. "All right, Rick, time to go."

With that, he left for the SDF-1, not realizing that his friend stayed behind.

Rick stopped shaking and became content with staying on solid ground. Finally, from the withdrawal of adrenalin, he past out.

* * *

In the shelter, everybody was settling down. It had been awhile since there was a prolonged stay in them. Drills would usually end five minutes after the last person entered, but that point had past a long time ago. The one thing the people were sure about they wouldn't be in the shelter too much longer. Whatever the RDF was dealing with, they would ended it any time now.

There was a group that definitely couldn't wait for this to end. Lena and Nodoka were worried about what was happening to their children. They could've been back before they closed the doors. Max, though he was worried, had confidence in Ranma. The stories Minmei told them of Ranma made him out to be a god.

Jason, though concerned, wasn't all that concerned about his cousin. Being in the shelter was almost an adventure to him. "Say, when is Minmei coming back?" he asked rather innocently.

Lena immediately brought him into her embrace.

* * *

Ranma started to regain consciousness. His head was throbbing in pain. His first thought was to try to figure out what he did to Akane this time. He really needed to figure out where she was get those mallets. Then he felt the weight in his lap and figured Shampoo has something to do with it. But that couldn't be because Shampoo usually detached herself after he had been malleted and threaten Akane. The thought of Akane being in trouble brought him back to consciousness completely.

Waking up, he saw his surroundings and remembered he was on Macross Island.

The last thing he remembered was being in a fighter. But why weren't they moving. "Hey, Rick, what's goin' on?" There wasn't a response.

The memory of the Battlepod came back to him. Obviously it was now gone, but he looked out the canopy to make sure nothing else was out there. That's when he saw the Goliath.

Though the Zentraedi wasn't moving, the sight of a giant caused Ranma to shake in disbelief. Giants were just things of legends, movies and anime. "Wh-what the heck is that?" he asked himself. One thing he knew, he mustn't let Minmei see it.

Rick was the next to wake. He shook the exhaustion away as he sat up. Turning around he found Minmei still sleep and a wide awake Ranma. "You okay back there?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," replied Ranma. _No thanks to you_, he added. But his attitude would change as he heard the rate of Rick's breathing change. It didn't take Ranma long to realized that Rick was trembling in fear at the sight of the giant.

"Hey, man, ya gotta calm down," he stated.

"Calm down about what?" Minmei asked, having woke up.

"N-nothin'!" exclaimed Ranma and Rick.

Minmei noticed Rick trembling at something outside and asked what was out there. To which both men told her not to look out there. Suddenly in the distance, the sound of footsteps was heard causing everybody to freeze. Through the mist appeared the Battloid of Skull One.

After a few minutes of providing cover, Roy became concerned when Rick still had joined up with him. Saying that he needed to pick up, he returned to where he left Rick. "You guys aren't going to stay here all day, are ya?" Roy joked over the tac-net.

"Uncle Roy, Rick seems really spooked," Ranma commented.

"I can see. And it looks like his gotten rather attached to you. Give me a minute, and I'll get you out of there." Using the repair attachment, Roy opened a small panel to the left of the cockpit, removed the cockpit section of the Veritech, and attached it to the right forearm. This action seemed to end Rick's trembling. "Just another bit of Robotech ingenuity," Roy commented.

"Boy, that seemed easy," said Ranma.

"Yeah. That's so cool!" came Minmei.

More Battlepods made their presence known that moment.

"Well, it's time we take our leave of this place," Roy said.

He popped off a few shots before running out of ammo. Tossing his autocannon aside, Roy transformed into the Guardian mode with Rick and the others in the undercarriage. He moved through the ruined streets, avoiding enemy fire. Getting some distance away from the Battlepods, he went into full fighter mode and jetted away from the island, heading for the SDF-1.

As they were ascending, Ranma asked, "Say, where do you think we're going?"

Rick and Minmei were clueless, but Rick had a guess. "I think we're headed to the SDF-1."

"But I don't wanna go to the SDF-1," stated Minmei. "My family's got to be worry about me."

"I don't know what we can do."

"Maybe Uncle Roy could just take us back."

It couldn't to ask, and soon they had Roy on the tac-net. Rick explained that his two passengers wanted to the go back to the island. Unfortunately that wasn't something Roy could do. The order for all Veritechs to return to the SDF-1 had been given. He couldn't just go against orders.

"But, Uncle Roy, mom's down there surrounded by those giants!" Ranma stated.

"Yeah, and my aunt and uncle are worried about me!" Minmei added.

"Don't worry, you two. The shelters are the safest place for them to be. They're impregnable," explained Roy. "Look, the best I can do is take the both of you back when this is over."

"No, I'll take her back," Rick let slip out.

Both Ranma and Minmei looked at him from opposite sides of his seat. Then Ranma said, "Don't you mean them?"

Roy knew that slip of the tongue was going to start a conversation so juvenile. Luckily, he knew how to tune them out.

He was on approach to the fortress and needed landing clearance. "This is Skull Leader to SDF-1 Control, over."

Lisa immediately appeared on both cockpits' tac-net screens. "This is SDF-1. Did you pick up the thing you left behind?"

Rick recognized Lisa as the one that got him in this mess. "It's you! You're the one responsible for this!"

"So this is your civilian pilot?" Lisa asked.

"Yup, that's him," replied Roy.

"Say, Uncle Roy, who is that?" asked Ranma, looking at the tac-net screen from over Rick's right shoulder.

"Uncle Roy!" exclaimed the girls on the bridge. None of the women knew about Lieutenant Commander Fokker's family, not even Claudia. Captain Gloval knew since he was his old commander during the Global Civil War, so it wasn't that surprising to him.

"That, Ranma, is the ship's flight Control and First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Lisa Hayes," answered Roy.

"But she's a girl!"

"And do you have something against that?" Lisa asked, quite irritated.

"Well, it's just that with all the fightin', that ship's not a safe place for girls," replied Ranma.

"And where would I be safe, Mister!"

Ranma had to think about it a bit before he could come up with an answer. Then he said, "Well, definitely not in the military. Girls are too weak to be in the military Unless you're a tomboy." There was a momentary pause as he looked at her. "Then again," he continued, "you kinda look like you would be a tomboy."

Lisa was really pissed off by the sexist attitude of Ranma. She could not believe there were still men on the Earth that thought like that. Also, she maybe many things but a tomboy she was not. Thus she proceeded to tear into Ranma. (Let's just say, some of the words used were rather inappropriate for someone in her position.) The fact that Claudia, Captain Gloval, and Roy were snickering didn't lessen the bite with which she struck. But to them, that was an accurate description of Lisa Hayes.

As for Rick, tomboy wasn't quite the word he would have used. _Maybe something like old sourpuss._

The insults seemed to just bounce off of Ranma. He had heard better insults than the ones she was using. But he was beginning to think he might have gone a little too far. Though listening to her language, she was definitely a tomboy. Maybe even worst than Akane.

"Ranma, I think you should apologize," Minmei whispered in his ear. "Women her age don't like to be called tomboys." She understood what Ranma said wasn't part of Ranma's personal belief, just something pressed upon him by his father.

Once Lisa was through chewing out Ranma, she switched to Rick. "And you, Rick Hunter, are in serious trouble! Unauthorized use of a military aircraft is a serious offense."

After that Lisa silently counted to ten, realizing she said some rather inappropriate things just then. She needed to regain control of her temper before she did something else she'd regret.

"Hey!" was Rick's response.

By this time, Skull One needed landing instructions. Clearing his throat, Roy said, "Bridge Control, this is Skull Leader requesting landing instructions."

Then with a smirk, "Give us a bay number-ya tomboy."

They could hear Lisa groan over the tac-net, plus laughter from other people on the bridge. Gripping the sides of her station, Lisa was able to control her temper and gave them a bay number. Then she told herself that Ranma would rue this day if she ever saw him again.

* * *

Back on the island, Battlepods returned to their dropships. With the battle fortress no longer there, it was no longer a capture mission, thus time to return to the fleet.

Up on the flagship, Breetai was told that the last dropship was making its way. He didn't like what Exedore told him though. With half of the assault team returning, clearly he underestimated the enemy's fighting spirit.

"Where is the battle fortress right now?" Breetai asked. His voice clearly displayed his displeasure over the lost of so many.

"It has achieved low planetary orbit," came a reply from one of the techs. "There are seven crafts on course possibly to link up with it."

"Sir, if they break away from gravity, they can execute a fold and be out of range of our gun," commented his rusted hair colored aide.

"You have a point there," Breetai replied. "Perhaps it would be best if we supplied a persuading force. Prepare for laser bombardment!"

Laser cannon appeared on advance ships of the fleet.

* * *

Inside the SDF-1, Roy drove a jeep through its cavernous holds with Rick and Minmei. He was out of his flight suit and in his uniform (purple top with black trim and blue pants). He really only wanted to take Rick with him, but Minmei just wanted to tag along. Roy had a notion that the girl might just have a "thing" for Rick. But he didn't care; this trip was for Rick.

After he relented to that, it proved difficult to leave Ranma at the military base, but he put his foot down since his nephew was his responsibility. Having Ranma put his foot in his mouth helped because if anything were to happen to him, Nodoka would skin him alive. Roy hadn't expected the fuss Ranma put up over the girl. Apparently there was a strong bond between the two. What kind of bond, he didn't know and failed to ask.

"I have a surprise for you," Roy said, ending the silence that persisted since they left the base.

"Is it something that we needed to leave Ranma behind?" Rick asked. _And it's a good thing. I think I got on his bad side._

By this time, Roy came to an abrupt stop at the end of the dark corridor. The stop was so abrupt that it threw Rick and Minmei into the front seats.

"Hey, you could've hurt someone that way!" Rick exclaimed.

"Awe, it won't be that bad after you see this," Roy said as he turned on the lights of the jeep.

Out of the darkness appeared Rick's white with red trim racer. Rick hopped out of the jeep and ran to his fanjet.

"It was just sitting near the hangers. So I had someone bring it onboard. I figured it'll be a lot easy to fly than a Veritech," Roy explained. "At least it doesn't turn into a Battloid."

Minmei had gotten out the jeep and walked over to the men. "Hey, I've seen this plane before. It was part of the air show this morning."

Roy grimaced, as he didn't want to be reminded of the disruption of his air show.

Just then, Claudia's voice came over the PA. "Attention all personnel. Report to your docking stations. Repeat, report to your docking stations. We are approaching the rendezvous point with Armor One and Ten."

Roy didn't want to leave the two teenagers, but duty was duty, and he had to go. Running back to the jeep, he said, "You two stay here. Don't running off or you'll get lost. I'll be back to get you guys when it's over."

With that he sped away.

* * *

Breetai watched as ARMD-01 and 10, plus support ships, lined up for docking. Then one of the techs told him what he could see.

"The enemy ships are preparing to dock, sir."

Breetai was slightly annoyed by the tech, but none more any other tech doing the same thing. "All right," he bellowed. "Order all gunners to shot between the ships. I don't care how many of the smaller ships are hit, but the battle fortress must remain unscathed." It wasn't long before the thousands of guns pointed in the direction of SDF-1 opened fire and created havoc in space.

The bridge crew watched in horror as the ARMDs and their tender vessels were destroyed while the SDF-1 passed through without being touched. Gloval asked for the location of the bombardment. Vanessa quickly replied that it was coming form the same location as the first bombardment.

When Lisa gave him the list of the damage, Gloval commented that their (small) fleet was being torn to shred. Sammie reported the fortress hadn't suffered any damage, and he felt fortunate. But he had to act quickly or that fortune couldn't possibly last.

"What is our present location?" he asked.

Vanessa replied, "We're presently coming to our original position over Macross Island, about one hundred miles up."

Just that instant Gloval came up with a plan. He was going to take the ship back down into the atmosphere above Macross on a landing approach, but before reach the ground, he would execute a position fold jump behind the moon. Claudia was hesitant on complying with the order. Of all the untested systems onboard the SDF-1, the fold system was the most dangerous. According to theories, even the slightest miscalculation and the ship and everything on it could be sent into another dimension.

"I am well aware of the risks involved," Gloval commented. "But is everyone aware of the situation?"

It was hard to deny what was going on out in the vacuums of space.

"But we don't even know how the system work. Just hypotheses," piped in Lisa.

"That's why I want the ship as close to Macross Island as possible," stated Gloval. "All of Dr. Lang's calculations were done on there. "We can't just the surrender! We've got to do everything we can first. So ready the system for the jump to the far side of the moon when we are two thousand feet above Macross Island. Or do I need to replace you with a new crew!"

That seemed to get them going. But there was one thing that Claudia needed clarified before she started things in motion.

"Sir, don't we need permission from headquarters?" she asked.

Gloval replied that there wasn't time for that. To which Claudia felt the need to remind him of the regulations, but with the look Gloval gave her, she lost her thought.

Finally giving up, she spoke over the PA. "Attention all personnel. Priority! Fold system standby! Readying energy at maximum-green at all power sources."

Down where the fold generators were held, the crew was not sure they heard Lieutenant Grant properly. But when she came back over the PA saying that it wasn't a drill and started a countdown, they got down to business.

* * *

In the military section of the SDF-1, Ranma had found a space in which he could perform his katas to keep himself sharp for when he saw his father in a couple of day. In a phrase, Ranma was in a zone. Moments before Claudia went on the PA, he sensed that something dreadful was about to happen, something life changing. He just didn't know what it was. But it was powerful enough that it brought him back to reality just as Claudia mentioned a fold operation. Ranma had no clue what a fold operation was but immediately knew that it had something to do with his dreadful feeling. Only thing was Ranma didn't know who to tell about it.

* * *

Rick was busily preparing _Mockingbird_ for takeoff so that he could take Minmei back to her family. Since she had no knowledge, she wondered what he was doing. "What cha doin'?"

"I'm getting things ready so we can leave."

"But that guy told us not to go anywhere."

"I know, but I promised I'd get you back to your family."

"But what about Ranma?"

"Ranma's Roy's responsibility."

"But I'm Ranma's responsibility," stated Minmei. "He's only here because I had to go back and get something."

Rick was lost for words. He wanted to get off this military vessel as soon as possible and take Minmei back to the island. It was impossible to get Ranma because he had no clue how to get back to that potion of the ship. He didn't expect Ranma to mean so much to her. Deep inside he was crushed. The first good looking girl around his age he'd met already had a boyfriend.

Even if that were the case, he was leaving, and he wasn't going to leave her there by herself. He just needed to convince her to come.

"Hey, what if we get in contact with Ranma when you're back on the island. Would that be okay?"

Minmei had to mull it over. She would be abandoning Ranma on the ship but his uncle would be here. She would be with her family, and Ranma's mom would know Ranma was safe. Hopefully they can get a message to Ranma.

"I guess it would be okay," she said.

Just then Sammie's voice resonated through the battle fortress. "Attention all personnel. Fold in T minus three minutes and counting."

"Rick, what's a fold?"

Rick was just as clueless as she. "I don't think it has anything to do with us," he said as he opened the canopy.

He held a hand out to Minmei and helped her into the cockpit. He suggested she should wear the helmet from his stint in the Veritech, then went over and opened the hatch to the hold. He didn't know how lucky he was to see the orange-red horizon of the setting sun.

Rick hopped in the cockpit and closed the canopy. There was only being enough room for the pilot in _Mockingbird_, making for an intimate fit for the teens. They turned their heads away from each other in an attempt to hide their blushing.

"S-S-Sorry about the fit," Rick stammered.

"I-It's no problem," Minmei said in returned.

"O-Okay, let's go," Rick said as he reached for the controls. Now going for the stick was simple, but when he went for the throttle, his hand brushed against Minmei's butt, which caused an awkward moment. Quickly apologizing, Rick took hold of the throttle and fired up the fanjet. Nudging _Mockingbird_ through the opening, they were soon in flight. After correcting for turbulence from the SDF-1, Rick made way towards Macross Island.

* * *

As the SDF-1 drew closer to Macross Island , Claudia began her countdown to the execution of the jump. As her voice went throughout the fortress, Gloval watched various screens showing him the status of systems around the fortress. He dreaded that it would to come to this. He wished that they had more time in order to test all these alien systems before the enemy showed up.

But he hoped above all hope that he hadn't made a mistake by ordering the jump. He didn't have much time to think of regret for when Claudia finished the countdown, he commanded, "Execute hyperspace fold jump!"

It wasn't long after the command was given that the crew could see the visual effect of initiating a fold. Visions became blurred, as it appeared that there was more than one image of every object, in various colors.

The SDF-1 was the center of a white hot bubble. This was the physical representation of a hyperspace fold. It was something that the foremost expert of Robtechnology, Doctor Emil Lang, had hypothesized to happen. Unfortunately he miscalculated the size of the bubble. Dr. Lang calculated the bubble to just surround the fortress, but it continued to expand. As it expanded, it engulfed _Mockingbird_, causing Rick to lose control. But it didn't stop there. It continued to expand until it included Macross Island, the carriers, _Prometheus _and _Daedalus_, and the last of the Zentraedi dropships.

And then, it winked out of existence.

* * *

Author's note:

Everyone speaks English. Ranma will be more OOC since much of his influences will be eliminated by Nodoka.


	3. Lost & Found revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 3: Lost & Found

* * *

Three days in the future...

Ranma and Nodoka were to visit the Tendo Dojo today. Life proceeded as normal. Kasumi was busy cleaning the house, Nabiki was in her room, doing whatever Nabiki did, and the fathers were in the middle of another game of Go. As for Akane, she was up in the guestroom. Ranma had left some things and hadn't been back to pick it up yet. She wasn't sure if Ranma remembered, but she was going to show that she cared for him by giving it to him.

There wasn't much she needed to do. Akane had already gathered the items together and placed them out of sight of Genma, but she did keep the bracers Ranma wore those first days. He claimed they were lost, but when she found them, they were very much in plain sight. She couldn't place them with the rest of the items, for they reminded her of the brash teenager that turned her life upside-down. Though at the time she met him, she really hated boys. But the time he'd been out of her life, she learned how much he meant to her.

She only wished that she had the courage to tell him how she felt. Tell him that she liked him; that she might even love him. But she was going to tell him that today, even if it embarrassed her. Of course that meant that her dad and Uncle Saotome would force them to marry before the end of the day. She just hoped she could convince Auntie Saotome that it wouldn't be in the best interest for both her and Ranma. That's if he felt the same way.

Akane moved to add the bracers with the other items, but as she held them, the thought occurred to her as to why Ranma said they were missing. She thought there might be something to the location she found them. She moved the chest and bent down to see if there was anything under it. She was a little disappointed to find nothing. Then again it wasn't like Ranma had secrets.

_Like he could keep one_, Akane thought.

One thing did happen that she hadn't expected. By moving the chest, she disturbed the dust that had settled around it. The dust made its way to her nose, causing her to sneeze, thus kicking up more dust. In turn, Akane started a sneezing fit.

During her sneeze fest, Akane noticed a hole in the floor. She hadn't known of any damage to the house not related to martial artist, but there was a small hole, maybe about the circumference of a pinky finger. Curious, she stuck in a finger. Not expecting to feel anything, she was surprise to feel something like paper.

_What was paper doing under the floor?_

Her first thought was of a lost item belonging to the family. Hooking her finger, Akane lifted the floor panel, hoping she wasn't about to rip up the floor. To her surprise, it lifted easily. What she found was a stack of letters. She thought maybe she found some love letters between her parents. Grabbing the first letter, she opened it and read.

"Dear Ranma." Those two words were definitely not the words she wanted to see. "Why that jerk," she fumed. "He's been hiding love letters all this time." Akane was certain that this one was from Ukyo, but when she went down to the bottom, it read:

_Love, Minmei_

"Minmei! Who the heck is Minmei?" she asked herself. She didn't know of any Minmeis in Nerima. Then she saw the date of this letter. It was a week after he and his father had arrived at the dojo.

Akane was instantly inflamed. She picked up and went through the rest of the stack. She didn't pay attention to content, just the fact they all ended with "Love, Minmei."

Using her powers of deduction, she seemed to understand why Ranma was so set against their engagement, Ukyo's engagement, and being Shampoo's husband. He was stringing them all along. He already had a girlfriend, living god knows where.

Now she _really_ couldn't wait for Ranma to get there. She would kill him for her developing feelings for him when he already had a girlfriend. Then she would find this Minmei and give her a severe beat down for taking her Ranma. And she was pretty sure Ukyo and Shampoo would love to help. Yes, the three of them would do it together, something of a bonding ritual between women.

Resolved in letting the other fiancée know, she stumped out of the room and down the stairs to call Ukyo. Unfortunately she never made that call. As she walked over to the phone, Akane noticed the stranger in the living room. He was wearing a military uniform and looked to be very official.

Seeing Kasumi, she asked who the man was. Kasumi replied, saying that he was there to talk to Uncle Saotome. It was obvious the guy wasn't there to arrest Genma because he hadn't fled after being introduced to the gentleman standing in their living room. She snuck closer to hear what was being said.

"... It is with our deep regrets to inform you that your wife and son were both on Macross Island when the terrorists detonated the nuclear device. Sir, your wife and son are dead."

Akane didn't want to believe what the man just said. Instantly she went into denial and. Ranma couldn't possibly be dead, not after all the things she saw him do. She screamed the military man, calling him a liar. Then she ran to her room, where she cried into her pillow.

Genma wasn't better off. In fact he was pretty much catatonic. The one woman he loved with all his might and his legacy were now gone. He didn't cry, wouldn't cry.

It didn't take long for the news to spread. The disaster at Macross Island was major worldwide news event. Reports had said terrorists made another attempt to take over the SDF-1, but since it was complete, it made an emergency take off. Not long after that, the terrorists detonated a nuclear device in hopes to catch the spaceship in its wake and destroy it. Unfortunately the shockwaves didn't catch the spaceship, but the magnitude of the blast completely destroyed the island, ending the lives of everything on it.

And that's how the adventure of Ranma Saotome ended, death by nuclear explosion. The Amazons went back to China, Ryoga grieved for his rival, sometimes friend, Kodachi was finally committed, and Kuno proudly proclaimed that the evil sorcerer was no more. Ukyo also grieved. She thought about leaving and going back to her father, but she saw a person in need in Akane, so stayed.

Eventually life went on in Nerima, granted much different than while Ranma Saotome was living.

* * *

Present...

Breetai and Exedore saw the bright light emanating from the point the battle fortress descended into the atmosphere. Being two of the oldest of their species, they didn't need to be told what it meant.

"A fold!" Breetai said with a little amazement. "I don't believe it!"

Exedore commented on the improbability of such a thing occurring. The Zentraedi believed it was impossible to perform a spacefold operation while under the influence of a planet's gravitational pull, but maybe Zor's ship was different. Maybe it could achieve something that was deemed impossible.

That is if it survived the jump.

Breetai didn't care about the improbability of the situation. He had ordered the bombardment to prevent a spacefold jump, and it happened nonetheless. Balling his hand in anger, he bellowed orders to find the location of the battle fortress.

* * *

All quiet on the far reaches of the solar system…

Pluto seldom had visitors, except for the occasional comet or Earth satellite leaving the system. Suddenly the calm of space was shattered by the arrival of a mysterious bubble. Inside the bubble of trapped Earth atmosphere was the SDF-1, two aircraft carriers, Macross Island, and one small fanjet.

No sooner had it materialized that the bubble burst. Atmosphere quickly disappeared, replaced by the cold of space. The water surrounding the island and carriers quickly froze. Frost covered everything due to the rapid loss of heat, including the canopy of _Mockingbird_.

The first to notice something wrong were the crews on _Prometheus_ and _Daedalus_. Unfortunately, since they were not equipped for operations in space, the carriers were scenes of horrific deaths.

Next were the citizens of Macross in the shelters. They were fortunate that the shelter were constructed to be airtight, so they had oxygen to breathe. When they started floating in the air, it was obvious that was a problem, since it not possible on Earth. Only they didn't know they were no longer on Earth.

On the bridge of the SDF-1, everything was lit in the red of the emergency lights. Gloval quickly asked for some lights. He was worried that something was wrong. According to Dr. Lang, the fold system shouldn't have taken that much energy.

Kim immediately complied, and the bridge was back to its normal illumination. It took a moment for everybody to readjust to the light, but soon they were all back doing their jobs. With the light on, everyone could see the floating debris. Unfortunately they didn't know that it was from Macross Island or even that Macross Island had followed them into space. So they had no idea where it was coming from.

That was until Vanessa's voice rang out. "Sir, radar shows a large object just beneath us." That was expected by Gloval. Their target had been behind the moon. But Vanessa replied that that the object was too small to be the moon. Then she put the image on the main screen. Everybody immediately knew what it was.

"It's Macross Island!" exclaimed Sammie.

"And it's coming straight at us," added Vanessa.

But Gloval could tell different. They were the ones moving through the debris. "No, we're moving towards it." Gloval quickly grasped the magnitude of the disaster that had occurred. He ordered Claudia to fire the retrorockets to slow the descent. Claudia made attempts to do so but got no response from the engines.

Lisa quickly understood why the engines weren't responding. It was the same reason why the emergency lights came on. Fold system had sapped so much energy that systems ship-wide were inoperable. Lisa sounded the collision alarm and went over the PA, "Emergency! Emergency! Brace for impact! Brace for impact!"

The SDF-1 crashed into the ground with a sickening crunch and slid across the island, destroying many of the still standing buildings.

* * *

Things were not going so well in _Mockingbird_. One moment Rick was in full control, then suddenly the canopy frosted over, and the fanjet wouldn't respond.

Rick was able to scrape a portion of the canopy clear to see what was going on, and it made him worry. When they left the SDF-1, it was clear skies with the sun setting in the distance. Now it was pitch black with debris floating around.

For some reason, Rick theorized the light he briefly saw somehow sent them into space. _But how did it get us into space_, Rick thought. And if that was true, he was thankful for the fanjet's pressurization or else they might dead.

Minmei snuggled up close to him. "Rick, I'm getting cold," she said. Rick hadn't noticed was the loss of heat.

"How much longer will it take?"

"It won't be long," he lied. He had no clue where anything was.

Soon he would need somewhere to go. A piece of the debris struck _Mockingbird_, nudging it into motion. That wasn't the least of their worries. The impact caused a small fracture between the canopy and the fuselage, and their atmosphere started seeping out little by little. The noise was loud enough that Minmei asked about it. Once again Rick lied to her, rationalizing that it was for her own good that she didn't know how bad their situation was. But he did take off his scarf in an attempt to plug the leak.

He needed to find someplace safe. As luck would have it, he could make out the SDF-1 in the distance as the frost disappeared. It was lying on what appeared to be a big rock surrounded by laser fire, meaning it was under alien attack. He couldn't concern himself with that. Right now they needed to get back on the SDF-1 before they died of asphyxiation.

Knowing the propellers weren't going to work, he turned to the rockets, but he couldn't use them liberally since there couldn't be much fuel left after that booster climb earlier in the day. Exploding the rocket covers, Rick gave them a short burst to get them moving forward.

It wasn't a quick trip. The initial burst moved them rather slowly. But once Rick got forward momentum, he used the rockets as directional thrusters. When he finally made it back to the SDF-1, the first place he went was where they left, but it was sealed. Next he tried the fighter bays, but they were closed due to the surrounding combat.

Rick was starting to become desperate. There was no telling how much air they left, and the small amount of fuel left, there was no way for him to position himself for another pass. Just then Rick got lucky. A Veritech hit a Battlepod, and the Battlepod tumbled into the SDF-1, leaving a gaping hole that might be just big enough for _Mockingbird_. Telling Minmei to hang on, he fired the rockets in a long burst and shot for the hole.

Carrying a lot of momentum, _Mockingbird_ rocketed through the hole. While going through the hole, a descending bulkhead clipped the tailfin and wings. Now inside the ship, _Mockingbird_ spun out of control until some dangling wires caught it.

Upside down, the canopy opened, and Minmei and Rick fell to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked as they separated.

"Yeah," replied Minmei. "But where are we?"

"I'm pretty sure we are in the bowels of the ship."

Rick stood up, then helped Minmei up. They looked to see which way to good. After a moment Rick made the decision to go to the right.

"Are you sure that's the way?" Minmei asked.

"Ahhhh, not really. But it's a start."

With that they started off in an attempt to find a member of the SDF-1 crew.

* * *

"That's the last of the enemy," reported Sammie.

Gloval was grateful to hear that. But right now he was waiting to hear word from headquarters. None had yet to come. There was a question as to there being a problem in one of the systems, but Vanessa informed them that all systems were now functioning properly.

There was an unspoken fear that the enemy might have done further destruction to Earth with the SDF-1 not around for protection.

"Is there any further signs of the enemy fleet?" Gloval asked.

"None, sir," Vanessa replied. "The scope is all clear."

_That's odd_, Gloval thought. Their target was behind the moon, so the enemy should still be out there.

As he thought about that, his mind started wondering until he remembered the inhabitants of Macross were in the shelters. Then there were also the carriers. Though there wouldn't be anyone alive, it would be good for someone to go to them and see if there are any bodies that could be returned to their families.

He was just about to give the order for retrieval when Vanessa chimed in that she had their present location. "Why would I need that? We should be behind the moon," he said.

"I know, sir. But the computer plot has us in the orbit of Pluto."

There were gasps of surprise throughout the bridge. Gloval groaned, as he couldn't believe what was happening. Then he remembered that there was no cause for panic. The ship could simply jump back to Earth.

That was when the phone connecting the captain to engineering rang. Answering it, Gloval had a brief conversation with whoever it was on the other end. When he got off the phone, he groaned again and started to leave the bridge.

"Is something wrong, captain?" asked Lisa.

Gloval paused, looked at Lisa, and said, "It appears the fold generators have disappeared." There was another gasp. Gloval continued on, but before he left, he ordered retrieval teams to the shelters and the carriers.

* * *

Ranma was extremely bored. Normally he would go through his katas to pass the time, but this Ranma had a mother that wanted her child to know that there was more to life than just the Art. A mother that appreciated the things that he had kept secret from a father that would have deemed them useless to the Art.

Sure he still strived to be the best martial artist in the world. He just didn't want it to define who he was. So after going through his katas twice, he got bored.

There was the strange light show. After it was over, he became slightly disoriented and fell onto the floor. After picking himself up, he returned to the ready room, where his uncle left him. Hours has past since he'd seen him. In fact it had been hours since he'd seen Minmei, and his uncle told him he'd bring her right back after showing Rick a surprise. He hoped nothing had happened to her.

He didn't have long to think about Minmei's whereabouts as returning pilots interrupted his thought. They looked exhausted, as if they had just came back from a fight. Ranma knew the feeling.

"Ranma! There you are," a familiar voice said.

Ranma looked out and saw Roy coming towards him.

_Good, I was able to find one of them_, Roy thought as he walked. Roy felt exactly how he looked, like crap. First there was the failed docking because of the bombardment, next the hyperspace fold, and then there was the attack from the aliens right after they the jump. The final thing was going back to retrieve Rick and the girl, only to not find them there.

"Sorry it took so long. Hope you didn't get too bored," Roy said ending his walk.

"Where's Minmei?" Roy hoped that wasn't the first thing he'd say.

"Well, Rick showing her his plane," Roy replied. It wasn't an outright lie. Rick could be just that. "I'm sure they'll be here any minute now." Now that was a lie. All he could do is hope his nephew wouldn't be too angry with him.

* * *

Rick and Minmei had been walking for what seemed like forever, at least that's what Minmei thought. In actuality they were still only a short ways from the plane. Also it seemed they hadn't made any head way in finding another person.

Rick's flashlight continued to shine down the corridor. So far they have seen pipes, pipes and more pipes. They had also come across a compartment full of scrap metal. Eventually they came upon a doorway.

"Say, let's see what in there," Rick said.

Surprisingly it was well lit compared to the other compartment, and it was huge. Just like the other one, it was being used for storage, but unlike the other compartment, this one had mostly crates of various sizes.

The thing that set this compartment apart was the huge door that might lead to the outside. Rick quickly figured the compartment housed an airlock. He turned to tell Minmei but she was nowhere in sight. Believing she may have climbed up the crates, Rick climbed up to possibly join her. At the top, she was staring out a window at the wreckage.

"Look at it. What do you think happened?" Minmei asked.

"I don't know," Rick replied. "It looks like the whole city exploded."

Minmei didn't want to hear that. Her thoughts instantly went to her family on Macross Island. "Do you really think that, Rick? That it might be from my home? From Macross?"

"No, no, no!" Rick tried spinning himself out of this. He didn't need Minmei to panic. Faking a yawn, Rick said, "Say, why don't why head back to the plane and rest for awhile before continuing."

Minmei agreed because she was tired but didn't want to hamper Rick's effort in finding a way out. They navigated themselves back down the crates and made their way back down the corridor. Not far from the compartment, Minmei said, "Rick, I'm thirsty."

Rick was getting thirsty also. "I think I might have something in the survival kit in the plane."

They walked for a little longer, listening to the sounds of the ship, in particular the drip of liquid. It took awhile for Rick to realize one of the pipes that lined the corridor must be for water. "Hold up for a minute," he said. He touched the various pipes to determine the water pipe. Once he found which pipe, he found a bar on the floor. He placed the bar in between the bulkhead and pipe for leverage to bust it open. While doing this he explained to Minmei why he was doing it. No sooner had he said that, the pipe cracked open, causing a geyser of water to fly in the air.

At that moment, Minmei couldn't be happier to have water rain down on her. As she danced amongst the drops, she thought it would be a good idea to wash away the sweat.

"Rick, could you move that thing over there, so I can take a shower?"

Rick moved a piece of miscellaneous metal and was rather surprised to see that it made an effective curtain. He sat against it and waited for Minmei to finish so they could head back to _Mockingbird_, when he heard her scream. Thinking Minmei was in trouble, he quickly jumped over the metal curtain, but only found Minmei, clothes clinging, giving him a look of accusation.

"What?" he asked rather innocently.

"I thought I saw someone peeking."

"It wasn't me."

"Ri-i-ight!"

"Honest."

Knowing he wouldn't convince her, Rick went back around the metal and took his place on the floor. He heard Minmei start humming a tune that that sounded vaguely familiar to him. He couldn't quite place it, but it reminded him of his mother who died long ago.

As he sat, Rick realized that Minmei might need something dry to wear. Her dress had to be soaked. He made his way back to _Mockingbird_ to grab some work clothes in it. They were not much, but they would do the job.

He wasn't gone long, but when Rick came back, he heard Minmei call out to him in a voice of fright. He rushed over as he wanted to see if there was any trouble, but the thought of her with no clothes on stopped him. To help clear those thoughts, he tossed over the clothes. He cleared his throat and calmly said, "I went and got you some fresh clothes. It's not much, but I hope it will do."

Minmei came from behind the metal curtain a few minutes later. Rick grabbed a quick shower, and then they both headed back to _Mockingbird_. Rick pulled his emergency rations out from his survival kit. He hoped he would never have the need to eat them, but now he was grateful to have them. After handing one to Minmei, he tore into one.

Minmei watched him eat and felt it was unwise for him to eat it with reckless abandon. "Rick, I really think you shouldn't eat it all. There's no telling how long we'll be here."

"Ah don't worry. We'll be out of here in no time."

Rick and Minmei ate (Minmei less than Rick) and went to sleep. When they woke, Rick thought it would be better if he went out on his own. Minmei didn't argue. So on the "second" day, Rick went off, and Minmei tried to make their area a livable space, especially after having mice walk on her. Later in the day, Rick came back with a depressed look on his face, and Minmei tried to cheer him up. That's how the next day went and the next and the next.

By the seventh day, Rick got the idea to use the airlock and, with his helmet, float up to another airlock and get help that way. Unfortunately, the plan didn't work, but they were lucky when Rick came back inside with a blue tuna.

* * *

Elsewhere on the SDF-1, the refugees from Macross Island were trying to make themselves comfortable. When they came aboard, the RDF had to set up tents and cots so the 70,000 refugee could have some semblance of normalcy. Before long the RDF salvaged Macross Island for extra supplies. At some point it was decided to reconstruct the city within one of the vast holds of the SDF-1. Since there were many holds not in use, there was plenty room for a city to form inside the that decision, they started salvaging building material floating in space.

Everything brought out to Pluto's orbit was made useful, including the _Prometheus_ and _Daedalus_. After a memorial service, the two carriers were cleaned, made airtight, and fused onto the battle fortress as replacements to the ARMDs carriers. Soon all the Veritechs were placed on their hanger decks.

Of all the people that where mistakenly brought out to space, the only civilians that weren't having a tough time of things were the Saotomes. Because her brother was an important officer onboard the SDF-1, Nodoka was provided the quarters on the military base. It's wasn't much, three rooms, a living room/kitchen combo, bedroom, and bathroom. Ranma slept on the RDF provided couch, giving her the bed. At first she felt guilty that she and Ranma was receiving some type preferential treatment, but after talking to Lynn Lena, she felt she could put up with it for the time being. Besides it was nice hosting the Lynns in the evenings.

Ranma, during this time, spent his days angered, worried and depressed, avoiding everyone he knew. He avoided Roy because he was angry for lying to him. As for his mother and the Lynns, he just couldn't face them. Minmei was his responsibility, and now she'd been lost for a week. He'd let them down.

He spent most of his time helping the refugees reconstruct Macross City inside the SDF-1. When he wasn't doing that, he went to secluded areas and went through kata after kata and other exercises to stay shape and get over his guilt for allowing his uncle to take Minmei. At times, his anger would come forth, and his movements were more forceful and violent.

Eventually he was no longer angry with Roy, just disappointed. Rick, on the hand, was in for some serious pain. Ranma had placed the blame of Minmei being missing on him. When they were found, Ranma would surely treat him like the many that threatened Akane.

His days usually end late, so he would fall asleep on the couch. At first it didn't bother Nodoka. Not fully knowing her son, she thought his behavior could be normal. But as he started to push her away, she became worried. In the short time she did know her son as either Ranma or Ranko, he was always happy to be around her. But he was distancing himself as if he had done something and was avoiding punishment.

She talked with Lena one day over this topic. Lena said she noticed how Ranma shied away from helping with the White Dragon reconstruction. She suggested that it might have to do something with Minmei being missing.

"And if that's true, I'm sure your son will be back to normal," Lena finished. "Once they find her."

"But they don't know where to even start looking," Nodoka said.

* * *

Ranma was tired from another boring day. It was a rather taxing day but boring nonetheless. Though he wouldn't say it, he missed the action. He was grateful to be living with his mother, but he hadn't been in a fight for months now.

It didn't matter as Ranma entered their room, for it wasn't long before he was asleep

Dream sequence...

_Ranma was sitting on a red checkered picnic blanket. In front of him was an assortment of food that he looked at with trepidation for on the other side of the blanket was Akane. She gave him a huge smile. Though Ranma was afraid for his life, his heart could not help but to melt._

_With a bit of hesitation, he picked up the plate of what could be curry. At least it looked like curry. Eating a spoonful, he was surprised to find that it tasted good, way better than usual. _

_If it was possible, Akane's smile grew as she watched Ranma demolished the curry. "So you like?" she asked._

"_Sure," Ranma said, with food in his mouth. "I always like Kasumi's food."_

_Akane briefly grew angry at the comment, but she remembered what Ranma's mother said about controlling her emotions. "Well, Kasumi didn't cook it. She didn't cook anything here."_

_Akane was pleased when he continued eating. Pleased he was eating something she made without much complaint. Ranma went from dish to dish with the same type of enthusiasm._

_He looked up and saw Akane wasn't eating at all. His mind started waving caution flags. "How come you're not eating?" he asked. "There's plenty here."_

"_Oh, don't worry about me. I made this all for you."_

_Ranma stopped eating. The fact he was still alive made him realized Akane learned patience while cooking while they were apart. He couldn't help but to give her a compliment. Akane was touched. She was always jealous when Ranma would compliment Ukyo on her food. There was a warm feeling in her heart now that he did the same for her_

_Ranma went on eating, and Akane decided to pick a plate and join him._

_They ate together in silence when out of nowhere a red-haired little girl came running towards Ranma. Even in the distance Ranma could see the combination of Asian and European features. As she drew closer, he could recognize familiar features in her. Her hair was the same shade of red as his girl-side, and she had his blue eyes. He was starting to become uncomfortable. He just knew something was about to happen that would be misunderstood. _

_What he hoped wouldn't happen happened. "Papa, I made it," the girls said when she made it to the blanket._

_Ranma took one look at Akane and saw that she was pissed. He could almost see her aura._

"_What's the meaning of this?" Akane's voice was very controlled, but clearly she was angry._

"_I-I don't now who she is?"_

_Initially the girl looked hurt by Ranma's comment. Then she had a look of remembrance. She turned to Akane and said, "I'm Ruri Saotome, and this is my papa. At least he will be."_

_Akane's attitude changed, thinking that her daughter in the future just appeared at their picnic._

_That was until Ruri said, "Papa, who's this?"_

_Confused, Akane said, "If he's your dad, then I would have to be your mom."_

"_No you're not," Ruri said in a rather authoritative tone._

_Ranma, completely ignoring the conversation, asked, "Can you explain why you're interrupting a picnic?" Ranma was displaying the maturity gained from living with his mother._

"_You sent me."_

"_Huh?"_

"_You sent me to help you find Auntie Minmei._

"_Minmei's in trouble!"_

_Akane looked confused as she watched the two talk. The girl was Ranma's daughter, but she was not her mother. And who was this Auntie Minmei. Ranma didn't have any siblings._

"_She is in a hold that is just below what will become Macross City. At least that's what I think you told me to tell you."_

_He looked at Akane and said, "I gotta go."_

Ranma woke up with a start. When his eyes adjusted to the dark, he expected to see Akane in the room. When he remembered Akane wasn't with him, he realized it had to be dream.

"Man, that was a strange dream. Akane's cooking actually tasting going."

He settled back down on the couch and went back to sleep, completely forgetting about the little girl in his dream.

* * *

On the eighth day, Minmei decided to rejoin Rick. She was bored and tired of spending most of the day by herself. The day's route took the two in the opposite direction from where Minmei had been. Rick had spent the last two days going in this direction. For some reason he was confident if he kept going this way, he would find a way out of their "prison."

Rick was glad that Minmei wanted to come with him today. He often wished for some company during his search. He just hadn't had the courage to ask Minmei to come along. She seemed pleased playing house with what was left of _Mockingbird_, all stretched up and broken with the parachute draped over it like a tent.

Of course there was that day with the tuna, but that was something different. Without her then, he might not be alive.

They were walking in silence. After awhile, Minmei started humming to herself. It was the same tune she hummed while taking the showered that first day. It was a song that was a favorite of hers. It took her a while to learn the lyrics. She seldom sang it around people, but she sang it then.

Rick heard humming behind him. It was so familiar but couldn't quite place where he heard it. He was saddened when she stopped humming, but soon it started to sound like she was singing.

"_Born a poor young country boy_

_Mother Nature's Son_

_All day long..._

_I'm sitting singing songs for everyone…"_

"That's beautiful," said Rick when she finished.

Minmei blushed at the compliment. She hadn't meant for Rick to hear her.

"Did you make that up?" Rick asked.

"No. I learned it from Ranma," replied Minmei.

"Oh!" That was the first time Ranma's name had been brought up in a while, mostly because Rick didn't want to be reminded that the girl has a boyfriend.

"Ranma has a great voice and knows a lot of songs."

"I'm sure you hate being away from him?"

"Not really!"

That took Rick by surprise. He expected Minmei to miss her boyfriend. Then he thought that maybe their relationship wasn't very strong. There was hope.

"We don't see each other that often, but I know if I'm in real trouble, Ranma will try with all his might to be there for me," Minmei added, and Rick's little hope disappeared.

"You must really love your boyfriend to have that much faith in him."

Minmei started laughing. Ranma being her boyfriend was the funniest thing she'd heard in a week.

"What so funny?" he asked.

"You thought Ranma was my boyfriend."

"Yeah!"

"I do love him, but he's my big brother," Minmei explained. Minmei told him about the time when she was ten and was being bullied on the way from school. Ranma suddenly appeared and told them to leave her alone. When they persisted, Ranma took them out then walked Minmei home in case they decided to come back.

That's how their friendship began. For two months, Ranma would walk her to and from school. He said it was to protect her from the bullies, but she thought there might be more. He told her stories of all the "neat" adventures he had with his father, though she never met his father, and she didn't think Ranma wanted her to either. Her parents fell in love with him for being there for Minmei and always had food ready whenever he came over.

"So, there's nothing between the two of you?" Rick asked, interrupting her tale.

"Nothing. What we have is more like the protective brother and the little sister. That's why I call him my big brother. I bet if I were to call out his name, he would come and find us?"

Rick stopped and pondered this for a moment.

"Okay, I'm game. What do you need to do?"

"Simple." With that, Minmei cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted for Ranma.

"Now we wait three days."

"Three days! Why three days?" Rick asked.

"Because that how long it usually takes him," explained Minmei.

"Oh," was all Rick could say. Then he asked, "So what da ya wanna do now?"

"How 'bout we go look at the stars."

* * *

Ranma popped up out of his sleep for the second time. This time it wasn't because of a strange dream. This time he was sure he heard Minmei called for him. If Minmei called for him, she was definitely in trouble. "Just like that girl said," he said, in a tone of surprise.

"Like what girl said, dear?" a female voice asked.

Ranma looked in the direction of the sound and saw his mother and uncle at the table drinking tea. He could see her mouth moving, hear the sound, but couldn't understand what she was saying. All his thoughts were on the girl in his dream. If she was right, he knew where Minmei was.

"I know where she is," he said.

"Where who is?" asked Nodoka.

"Minmei."

That peaked the interest of the others in the room. Nodoka quickly asked how he did he know. Ranma explained that he had a dream where girl appeared (purposefully not mentioning Akane) and told him where Minmei was.

"I have to go get her," Ranma said, getting off the couch and to the bathroom to freshen up. He came back out wearing his usual red silk Chinese shirt and black pants.

"Ranma, come with me," Roy said. Roy had gotten up from the table and walked out the door, motioning to Ranma who followed. Confused but he still followed.

"What's up, Uncle Roy?" he asked once they were walking away from the room.

"Well, I know you're mad at me for leaving Minmei with Rick," Roy said.

"Aw, not anymore," replied Ranma. "You were just doin' your duty. It's not your fault Rick's an idiot."

Roy was happy his nephew was no longer anger at him. He could remember times when either he or his siblings were upset with another. It would last for weeks on end.

"Um, thanks. Anyway, Minmei and Rick have been out there for a week, and there is no telling what type of supplies they have. So I gonna get you some."

Ranma was surprised. He didn't expect his uncle to do something like this without asking. He didn't know what to say at the gesture, so they walked in silence until they came to where they passed out the rations. Like usual there was line of refugees waiting for their daily rations.

Roy, being a high-ranking member in the military, brought Ranma to the back so to avoid them.

"So how many days do you need?"

"Five."

"Five?" Roy didn't expect him to say that. Though they had been missing for seven days, five days seemed a bit much. It shouldn't take him that long to get to them if he knows where they are. "Why five days?"

"Well I figure with Minmei being gone for seven days, she might like the extra food," Ranma explained.

Roy noticed he had yet acknowledge that Rick was with her, but surely not all five days worth of rations were for Minmei. But he wasn't going to complain. What he did was get five days of rations and a pack for him to carry them in.

"Tell mom I'll be back in a couple of days," Ranma said, shouldering the pack. With that he made his way away from what was becoming a city.

Roy headed back to his sister's room. This was really the first time he had the chance to talk with her since she arrived on Macross Island, though it was she who asked to see him. He was just fortunate to get some time off.

It didn't take him long to make it back. He could get there with his eyes closed. In fact he was walking with them closed. Closed until he heard, "And where do you think you're going?" Opening his eyes, he turned and saw his girlfriend staring at him quite angrily.

"Cl-Claudia, hi!"

"Don't 'Claudia, hi,' me, mister," she said with attitude. "Do you know how hard it was to get free from the bridge so we could spend some time together?" It paid for her to know his schedule.

"I-"

"I didn't think so," she interrupted him, or maybe the other way around. "And here I find you wondering around."

Roy stood there and realized the opportunity that just presented itself. Neither of the two women of his life had met. Why not use this opportunity to do it now? He was on his way back to Nodoka's, and Claudia was right here.

"Say, I want you to come meet someone," he said, finally getting a word in.

"So you're finally gonna introduce me to that nephew of yours. You know, I never seen Lisa get so agitated as she did when he called her a tomboy."

Roy had started walking without her, so she had to run to catch up. No one spoke but it didn't matter. Just being together was okay for the time being. Soon they stood in front of a door, and Roy pressed the buzzer.

The door opened with Nodoka behind it. Claudia was shocked that Roy had taken her to meet another woman.

"Oh, good, you're back," Nodoka said, making way for Roy and Claudia could enter. She asked, "Where's Ranma?"

"Oh, he'll be back in a couple of days," he replied.

"Roy, who's this?" Claudia interjected.

"Claudia, this is who I wanted you to meet. Claudia Grant, this is my big sister, Nodoka Saotome. Nodoka, this is my fiancée, Claudia."

Nodoka was somewhat surprise to learn her little brother was going to marry someone not Japanese. Considering their family background, she really shouldn't. "It's nice to meet you," Nodoka said with a bow.

"Same to you," Claudia said, returning the gesture.

"Would you like to join us for tea?" Nodoka asked.

Seeing that Roy was already seated at the table, it was hard for Claudia to refuse. Nodoka went to retrieve another cup for Claudia, while she sat adjacent to Roy.

Leaning over, she whispered, "Why didn't you tell me your sister was on the island.

Roy just gave a short laugh of avoidance. "Well, it was sort of hard due to the situation."

"What's so funny?" Nodoka asked.

"Oh, I was just commenting on how come Roy hadn't mentioned he had a sister," Claudia lied.

"Well, has he explained why he hasn't told his family he was seeing such a lovely lady?" Nodoka replied.

That got Roy a punch in the arm. "Owww. What was that for?" But he didn't get a response as Nodoka poured tea.

Sitting down, Nodoka continued where she stopped. "Like I was saying, I'm really worried about Ranma."

"Why do you say that? He seemed fine to me," Roy replied.

"It's like he's trying to distance himself away from me again. I just got him back. I don't know if I can take him pushing me away."

"Whaddaya mean 'just got him back?'" Claudia interjected.

"Nodoka's husband took Ranma on a ten year training trip," answered Roy. "Maybe it has something to do with being in space."

"I don't know, Roy. Whenever I see him when I'm down in the reconstruction zone, he appears to be moping around. Almost as if he's missing something."

"Well, there is Minmei."

"Isn't that the girl who's missing?" Claudia asked. The siblings nodded in response.

"But I think it's something more than that," continued Nodoka.

"Maybe it does have something do with being in space," Claudia suggested. "Ya know we all get use to certain things, in a certain routine that when it's gone, it takes awhile to adjust."

There was no response as they had a collective sip. Nodoka had to think about what Claudia said. With what Ranma had told her his life was before he moved in with her. He hadn't been in a fight in that amount of time. She didn't want to believe that fighting was that much apart of his life.

"Well, he hasn't got into a fight in a while," Nodoka threw out the comment.

The first impression Claudia had of Ranma was a juvenile delinquent. She couldn't picture that handsome boy she saw on the viewscreen as a delinquent. Then again, he could've been on his best behavior with his mother around.

"I wish there was something I could do, sis. But there wasn't a dojo in the city, and the only people with any formal training are the pilots."

Claudia was lost in the conversation between siblings. Why would Roy mention fighting with the pilots when it was strictly forbidden for the pilot to fight with the civilians?

"But what if he joined the RDF?" Roy asked.

It was a question that came out of nowhere and took the ladies by surprise. It took Nodoka awhile to return from the stupor that Roy's question.

"No!" she said.

"Roy, how could you ask such a question?" Claudia responded.

Roy thought it was a valid question. He knew what the pilot numbers were and was sure once things were settled, there would be a recruitment push.

"It just that we're gonna need pilots," Roy started to explain himself. "And you said Ranma is the best martial artist of his generation. I'm sure he has the mental make-up and both mental and physical stamina for the job. And as for piloting, he's Hasegawa man. Once he gets inside a Veritech, I bet he'll be the best there is. Next to me, that is."

Nodoka was still hesitant on committing her son to death. Like she said, she just got him back. She didn't want to send him off to die. "I-I don't know, Roy."

"I know you're a little hesitant. I know I don't want to send my nephew out there to face the enemy. Do you how much mom and dad would hate me for sending their only grandson to his death."

"Maybe we should ask Ranma." No sooner had Claudia said that, that Nodoka gave her the look of death. She thought to herself, _And maybe I should keep my mouth shut_.

"Claudia's right." Roy backed his fiancée. "After all it would be his decision. And if he says no, I don't bring it up again."

"But that's what I'm most afraid of. From what I know, Ranma thrives on danger, especially when it means protecting those he cares."

* * *

Ranma was surprised how big the interior of the ship was. He had really thought it would take about a couple of hours to get Minmei. But right now he felt like Ryoga, lost. He passed through the reconstruction zones at least three times, and each time, he felt stupid. The first day he decided to give up and spent the rest of it with his mother, who was surprised to see how much more lively her son was. She was also quiet. Ranma seem to sense there was something she wanted to say but didn't want to say.

Figuring he wasted one day, he left early the next morning. This time it took half the day to get off the level he was on. The silly thing, he never thought to ask his uncle how to get off this level. Ranma rode the elevator down. He started his search three levels down. He never imaged how vast the holds were. He searched this first level without finding anyone.

He went up to the next level, where he set up camp for the "night."

As he slept, something weird happened to him. A wraith of energy appeared out of nowhere and made its way to Ranma. For a minute it hovered over him. Then it descended onto him and surrounded him. Ranma's body was suddenly in an "energy" cocoon and hovered off the deck. This lasted for several minutes, and then it stopped. And as mysterious as it appearance, the wraith was gone.

* * *

It was the night of the third day and Ranma hadn't showed up. Minmei laid in their makeshift tent (_Mockingbird_ with a parachute draped over it) and listened to Rick tale his story on how he became the amateur stunt pilot champion. It was an interesting story, but her mind was not into it. Ranma had never failed to show up three days after she called for his help.

She was nervous that something might have happened to Ranma. When she was nervous, she found the only way to calm herself was singing, and she had done a lot of singing these past nine days.

"_When the midnight bell tolled_

_the magic spell dissolved._

_Down the staircase_

_she rushed at its head,_

_the glass slipper remained."_

Rick looked at Minmei, just loving the sound of her voice. "You really have a beautiful voice. You should like go professional."

"You really think so?" questioned Minmei, getting a simple nod. "That's what I really wish to do. I've been taking lessons since I was four."

"That's almost like my life," Rick said. "Flying's been my while life since I was little."

By now Minmei was sitting up with her legs drawn close to her chest. "Do you think you'll ever be able to take me flying again?"

"Yeah. I'm sure we'll be able to once we've been rescued."

'Once' was not the word Minmei wanted to hear. She had expected Ranma to show up before they made their preparations to sleep.

"But that's just it. We'll never be rescued!"

Rick sat up and looked at Minmei. She appeared distraught, nothing like the girl he drew so much of his confidence from. "You mustn't think that way."

Minmei wasn't paying attention to what he said and moved from out of the tent. "We'll be lost forever and there was so much that I wanted to do. I want to be famous. I want to fall in love. I want to be bride. I want to see my family."

Rick didn't know what to say. He wanted to help her in the worst way, but he never knew how to act around girls when they were like this.

"Well, who said you can't be a bride?" It sounded like a question, but Rick meant it as a statement. He wouldn't mind if Minmei was his bride. Besides it was the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Huh?" Minmei wasn't quite sure she heard Rick.

"I mean we could have ourselves a wedding right here. It won't be real. Just pretend."

"Really. You would do that for me."

Rick nodded.

"Then let me use your scarf as a veil. It might be the only one I ever wear." With that Minmei promptly took it from around Rick's neck and placed it on her head.

"Minmei, you look beautiful."

Minmei didn't reply to that comment. Just held her hands out, and he took them. "Ah, so what do we do next?"

For a minute or two, they did nothing, said nothing. Then Minmei drew herself closer to Rick and started crying in his chest. "Oh, Rick, why hasn't anyone come for us? Have they just forgotten?"

"I'm sure they haven't forgotten. And what about Ranma? I bet he's on his way right now." Rick wasn't that optimistic on that, but she had so much faith in him that he didn't want her to give up.

"But the third day is almost up, and he didn't show."

Rick didn't quite understand the three day thing. This ship was huge, probably too huge for Ranma to find them in three days. "Well, then we give him more time. Until then, I'll be here for you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I always will because I love you." Rick was surprised how easy it was to say those words.

Minmei thought Rick was acting since it was suppose to be a fake wedding, so she said she loved him too. Then she looked into his eyes, and not even realizing it, inched closer to his head. Rick's mind picked up the signal and inched closer himself.

Before they realized it, they were kissing. There was no passion behind it, but it wasn't a kiss between two friends. It wasn't a simple peck, but for someone who just arrived the moment the kiss initiated, it was way too long.

"Mind if I interrupt," said a voice out of the blue.

Rick quickly separated from Minmei. Both looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ranma standing just outside of the shadows.

"R-Ranma, is that you?" Minmei asked.

"The one and only," he replied, his usual smile on his face.

Instantly Minmei ran to him and started crying again. "Awe, come on, Minmei. There's no need for that."

"I'm just so happy you're here."

"What? You make it sound like I'm late. I mean this is the third day isn't it?"

Minmei separated herself from Ranma and gave him a pouty look. Then she explained that she expected him earlier in the day, not at the end. Then Ranma presented them with a revelation they hadn't expected. It was only the afternoon. Rick quickly asked how could that be for his watch was saying it was "night."

Ranma didn't really wanted to hear Rick speak, but seeing that Minmei looked healthy and okay, presented him a watch set to the ship's chronometer, and it showed that Rick's watch was four hours off. He handed Minmei the bag with food and water. Unfortunately no one had the chance to look inside it. The ceiling crashed to the floor, right where _Mockingbird_ used to be.

Then voices could be heard.

"Is everybody okay?"

There were some affirmations. Then came the questions of what was it that came crashing down. There were speculations ranging from enemy missile to a bomb. Someone finally replied that engineering said it was a converter subunit.

About this time flashlights started shining down the hole so they could see the subunit. As the beams swept across the area to spot all the debris, one came across Ranma. At first it continued on its way until the owner of the flashlight realized that it was a person the beam came across, and quickly the light came back on Ranma.

"R-Ranma, is that you?"

Raising a hand to block the light out of his eyes, Ranma recognized the voice as that of the mayor. In the week that everyone had been aboard the SDF-1, Ranma had got to know the citizens while helping in the reconstruction.

"Yeah, it's me, mayor," he replied.

"Well, what are you doing down there."

"I found Minmei."

A second beam shone in Ranma's direction and picked up Minmei. Now confirmed what Ranma said, more lights appeared through the hole. Soon everyone could see all three on the level below them. Ten minutes later the three were brought up to the main level of the reconstructed Macross City.

Minmei was amazed at what had been accomplished. She was reunited with her family. She was all smiles and full of energy in comparison to what she was just a half hour ago.

Watching it all was Rick, who seemed out of place.

* * *

Author's notes:

The first thing Minmei sings is a verse from_ Mother Nature's Son_ by The Beatles (a Lennon/McCartney song). The second thing Minmei sings comes from _Cinderella_ by Mari Iijima (Japanese voice of Lynn Minmei), translation off of AnimEigo's Macross release.

The idea of Ranma being a closet singer is based on the DoCo animated videos. I chose _Mother Nature's Son_ as a song he would sing is show the mass appeal The Beatles would still have.


	4. Decisions revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 4: Decisions

* * *

Ranma led Rick away from the crowd that surrounded Minmei. Now was as good as any to get the point of his displeasure across to Rick. He walked him away, an arm around his shoulder, off to the side. When he felt Rick tense up the minute he put his arm around, he knew Minmei had told Rick some stories about him. It made him smile on the inside.

When Ranma thought they were far enough, he stopped. Rick put a little distance between the two.

"Hey, look, Ranma. I really didn't mean for us to get lost," Rick said, trying to plead his case.

"Awe, don't sweat it. Minmei appears to be okay," Ranma replied, trying not to sound displeased. "I'm giving you a warning. The next time you try something so stupid, I won't be so nice. Minmei's the kid sister I never had, and if any body messes her, they **will **have to deal with me."

Ranma made a gesture to Rick, when they heard a female shouting, "Ranma, don't do it!"

Ranma turned and spotted Minmei running towards them. When she reached the pair, she threw her arms around Ranma in an attempt to restrain him. "Please, Ranma, don't hit him."

Ranma almost had to laugh. Minmei and Rick looked at him as if he was crazy. Sure there was some hatred, but Ranma wasn't going to hit him.

"Okay," Ranma simply replied. Minmei relaxed her hold, relieved that Ranma wouldn't do anything. "I don't know why you're concerned. That's not me."

As soon as Ranma said that, Minmei gave him a dubious look. "What?" Ranma said, as if he was being accused.

"You forget I know you, big brother," replied Minmei.

"Are you calling me a bully? I've never bullied anyone in my life."

"What about Ryoga Hibiki?"

"How do you know about Ryoga?"

"You told me about him, in your letters."

Ranma never thought he bullied Ryoga. He always thought of that relationship as friendly rivalry.

"Or how about Yukito."

"Yukito?"

Rick watched the going ons between the two. He watched and witnessed a relationship that could be either close friends or siblings. Ranma definitely played the role of the protective older sibling, especially after hearing that this Yukito guy was a childhood friend who liked to tease Minmei until Ranma told him to stop or else.

Rick grew tired of listening to them, but he had nowhere to go. He listened to Minmei go down a list of people Ranma "bullied." Eventually they remembered Rick was still there.

"Say, Rick, I think Uncle Roy might want to see you once you made it back to civilization," Ranma said out of the blue.

"Huh." Rick completely missed what Ranma was talking about.

"But first my aunt and uncle will want to thank you for watching over me," stated Minmei. With that she took an arm and dragged him back towards the crowd.

* * *

The next day...

Captain Gloval stood in Engineering, wondering if anything else could go wrong. First there was the alien attack, next the miscalculated jump out to Pluto's orbit and the discovery of Macross Island with its 70,000 refugees along for the journey. That was topped by the news that the spacefold generators were missing. Now he was told the main gun couldn't fire.

He looked at the diagram of the ship that Doctor Emil Lang had set up. Standing next to him was said scientist explaining the diagram to his captain. Explaining how the fold generator was an integral part of the energy transfer from the reflex furnace and the main gun.

"So do we have any spare conduit so that we can fire the main gun?" Gloval asked. He hoped the doctor had a positive answer because he could use one right now. They were going to needed the main gun if the aliens were to show up. It was unfortunate that one of the things the fabricators couldn't produce was energy conduit.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there isn't any," Lang replied in his German-accented English, his all black eyes staring at Gloval. No one was quite sure how his eyes turned into pupils, but it was known to have happened upon the initial investigation of the SDF-1. "But you have to remember, sir. The SDF-1 is Robotech construction, meaning the ship's modular much like the Veritechs. Look and see."

The doctor pushed a button on a remote. The diagram started changing until the portions holding the reflex furnace and the main gun connected. In order for that to happen, the ship had to go through radical changes. Changes that Gloval didn't think he could make the civilians go through.

"The problem is simple. Until the modular transformation is complete, the main gun cannot fire," Lang said when the diagram stopped moving. The image on the screen showed the SDF-1 standing very much like a human. The engines formed legs, the carriers-arms, the forecastle-the head, and the twin booms of the main gun stood high on the shoulders. Off to the side showed the connection essential to firing the main gun.

Lang went on, "As you can see, there is going to be some major changes, both externally and internally. The rebuilding of the city was never accounted for since we never thought something like this would ever happen. So initially there is going to be considerable damage amongst the populace."

Gloval was already calculating the damages and knew it was too much to ask the people of Macross to go through. He asked the foremost expert in Robotechnology if there was any other way to fire the main gun. Lang flat out said there was no other way.

"Very well. That will be all, Dr. Lang," Gloval said. With that he left Engineering and made his way to the bridge. As he walked, he feared having to make the decision to do that to the ship. Much of the fear came from thinking about the chaos that would spread throughout the city.

bbb

Another morning arrived on the SDF-1. This morning felt so much better to Ranma. He'd found Minmei, he no longer felt any guilt, and after listening to their ten-day adventure, he had some respect for the guy who looked after his "little sister." That's not to say he disliked Rick any less.

Another thing, the city was done. There wasn't that much left to complete when he started his search, but when he emerged through the hole, he was amazed to see how much like a city it looked. There were even cars moving about.

Ranma was fixing himself something to eat, all the while humming. It was something he was doing more often since leaving the Tendos or maybe since he'd been cursed. He wasn't really sure. At times he'd hum without knowing, and this was one of those times. It wasn't until he heard, "It's all right," that he realized somebody else was in the room.

"Huh?" he said looking and seeing his mother standing in the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"That's the next line to the song you were humming," Nodoka replied.

"Oh. Mornin', mom," Ranma said, taking a seat at the table. Nodoka just shook her head hearing her son's grammar. "I didn't know I was hummin'."

"That's humming, dear. And you have a very good humming voice. Have you ever tried singing?"

Ranma gave her a nervous smile. He couldn't admit that he had. He hadn't sung for anyone but Minmei because he feared his pop would say singing was unmanly. Knowing his father's view of his mother's view of manly behavior, he preferred to stay silent than admit that he like the "unmanly" act of singing.

If there was one mannerism of Ranma's that Nodoka could recognize, it was his nervous smile. She knew that it always appeared when she asked a question, and the answer contradicted that view of manliness his father installed in him. Sometimes she really wished she hadn't accepted that seppuku pact with Genma. She never realized her husband had such a warped sense of honor. Like she would really kill her own son. Then again she only found out recently after eighteen years of marriage that he had no honor at all.

She thought, _Maybe it's time I let Ranma know I don't care about how manly he is. After all I'm going to ask Genma for a divorce once we return to Earth_.

"Ranma, I'm not going to think you're unmanly if you like to sing," Nodoka finally spoke.

Ranma was a little shocked to hear this.

"It can only make you well rounded," she added.

"It can?" Ranma looked her with a skeptical eye. This definitely wasn't the mother he heard of. Granted all he really knew of her was from his father. "All right, who are you and where did you put my mother?"

"Why would you say that?"

Ranma proceeded to describe her the way Genma had. He explained her idea of manliness as told to him by Genma. When he was finished, it took awhile, but Nodoka had to laugh. He described her to a tee with the exact attitude. The thing was it was the Nodoka of seventeen years ago. She couldn't believe how much her attitude changed as she matured.

"Well, I'm no longer that person," Nodoka said when she stopped laughing.

"Then I don't know my own mother like I thought," Ranma stated.

Nodoka said that was something she already figured. She wondered how come they never had this conversation in the first place but realized she spent most of that time finding all his faults from Genma.

"Well, now is as good a time as any for mother and son to get to know each other," Nodoka said. "Roy said we won't be able to just go right back to Earth."

Ranma didn't know that. That somewhat dampened him mood.

"For instance, I didn't know you like The Beatles."

"The who?" Ranma never heard of The Beatles. He told his mother that the songs he sang and hummed were from long ago memories. Nodoka instantly knew where he heard those songs since she was a huge Beatles fan and often sang her favorites to her little boy. Songs like _Blackbird_, _Here Comes the Sun_, and _Getting Better_.

Ranma finished eating and took his utensils into the kitchen. He never knew he would find out something like this from his mom. Just maybe he didn't have to fear her.

After awhile, Nodoka asked, "Now that the city is finished, and Minmei is back, what are you going to do today?"

Ranma was in the middle of washing the dishes in sink, with gloves for safety. "Well, I was gonna go in ta town and help the Lynns with the _White Dragon_."

"Well, your uncle wants to talk to you about something. If you can spare the time?"

"Sure I can do that. I'll do it before goin' ta town."

Nodoka once again shook her head because of his language. _And he was doing so good_, she said to herself.

* * *

Down in the town, the citizens were again lined up to pick up their daily rations. For many it took up most of the morning. This was the situation for the Lynn Max and Lena. They walked back with what was considered enough for feed a family of four. But the single package didn't seem to be enough.

Into the White Dragon they walked and were greeted by a smiling Minmei. She was in the middle of straightening up.

"I can't believe this is all we get," Max said as they entered.

"Well, you know, dear, they're trying the best they can under the circumstances," Lena rationalized with her husband.

"Hi, you two," said Minmei.

Lena looked and commented on how much better Minmei appeared. Minmei laughed at that and said that maybe she was.

Then Lena asked about Rick's whereabouts. Since he saved Minmei and was a stranger in the city, Lena felt obligated to provide him a room. Roy had gotten him a room on the military portion of the ship, but Rick declined, deciding to take the Lynns' offer.

Minmei said that he was still in the bed. Lena nodded in understanding. She realized there was no telling how little sleep Rick was able to get in order to keep Minmei safe. Minmei laughed at the comment, stating that she could be a hassle. Regaining her composure, Minmei said, "Say, what are you going to do about the restaurant?"

"What do you mean?" asked Max. He looked at his wife, and she looked at him, hoping the other had a clue where Minmei was going.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe you should reopen it," came Minmei's reply.

If Max had been drinking anything, that would have made for an instant spit take. The idea of opening the restaurant was preposterous. For one thing, they were in space. Another they just didn't have the resources as they did on Earth, especially with the RDF rationing the food.

And he said as much to Minmei.

Minmei's response was that he was able to keep the restaurant open during the war and during the reconstruction of the SDF-1 with all the insurrection that took place on the island. She suggested that once word got out that the restaurant was reopening, the military would probably be kind enough to help out with additional food supplies and other resources.

"And weren't you not just complaining about having to stand in line," she finished.

Max had to think about this. Naturally he looked to his wife to help with his decision. It was the way they operated. He wouldn't do almost anything unless he knew she was okay with it.

Lena thought Minmei's suggestion was a good idea. With the city reconstruction now done, there was pretty much nothing to do to pass the time. Sure she had become quick friends with Nodoka Saotome, but she could spend her entire day over at the Saotome dwelling. With no one knowing how long it would be before they reached Earth, it could make their journey move faster.

"Dear, why don't we reopen the restaurant," she finally said.

Max came to the same conclusion, though not the way Lena did, but the same conclusion nonetheless. So he readily agreed. He didn't sound too enthused, but it didn't sound like he was about to do something against his wishes. Minmei was ecstatic. She went and continued straightening up, this time she with more effort.

All the while, she forgot that Ranma was suppose to be there helping.

At that time Ranma was at Roy's office, waiting to get some time with him. It was almost as if he was told to hold pales of water in the hall. He shuddered at the thought of pales of water.

* * *

About forty-five minutes later, the final preparations had taken place for the reopening of the White Dragon. After making some calls to a friend he made in supply, the RDF dropped off some foodstuff, allowing the Lynns to get started. The RDF were grateful hear one of the businesses had taken the initiative to reopen, especially a restaurant.

They had tons of foodstuff recovered from the island and the carriers. They just didn't know how to adequately redistribute it to the populace other than the original rationing plan from the start of the SDF-1's reconstruction. Having a populace of 70,000 was never in the plans, so decisions were made on the fly. The reopening of a restaurant was a start. The RDF hoped this would encourage more to do the same.

Back at the White Dragon, things were set to open any minute. Minmei had gone and changed into a red Chinese dress and styled her hair into two "Princess Leia" buns with a long braid stringing down from each.

Helping her uncle, they moved a sign outside that declared the reopening. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, they placed it in the way of Mayor Tommy Luan, who was touring around the reconstructed city with his wife.

"Wh-what's going on here?" he asked, having stopped to avoid the sign.

"Oh, hi, mayor. We're just getting things ready. We're reopening the White Dragon," came Minmei's cheery reply.

That was the best thing the mayor could have heard at that time. When news of this spread through the city, he knew it would revitalized the people and hopefully some of their worries would go away, realizing that they could make it out in space.

Just then there was the screech of car tires, as a jeep with three soldiers stopped, not believing what the sign in front said.

"Is it true?" one of them asked. "Are you really open?"

"That we are," replied Minmei. "Just come this way."

The three soldiers hopped out the jeep and entered the restaurant. It didn't hurt that they followed such a beautiful girl. Upon taking a table, Minmei came out with menus and water. It was at this time that one of the soldiers realized who she was.

"Hey, you're that girl that was lost inside the ship," he said. Minmei laughed, saying she was. Another soldier asked if she was scared not knowing where she was. Minmei agreed on that point also.

"Say, you were with a boy. Right!" the first guys asked. "Where is he now?"

"Well, he staying here," replied Minmei.

"Staying close to his girlfriend. How sweet," voiced the last soldier with hidden sarcasm. "No telling what they did down there for ten days." The comment should have been an unspoken thought. Unfortunately it went through the mouth instead of staying in the brain.

It infuriated Minmei upon hearing it. "Rick was a perfect gentleman," she retorted.

"Awe, come on. You can't be telling us that nothing happened," soldier three said.

"Nothing happened," she replied, "because we're just friends."

Unfortunately her friend was walking down the stairs and heard the whole thing. Rick started to doubt everything that happened. Doubt the closeness they became. Doubt the kiss they had. Instead of continuing down the stairs, he went back up to his room.

* * *

Ranma didn't know how much longer he could wait for his uncle. He started contemplating leaving. He had promised Minmei he'd be at the restaurant at eleven, and that was ten minutes away. It wasn't like his uncle knew that he was out here. He could just leave and make his way to the White Dragon. If he ran, he could make it there in no time.

As he contemplated leaving, the door open and out stepped Captain Kramer, followed by several more officers. The meeting that just ended was the daily Air Group briefing. Ranma was completely ignorant of this as he was deep in thought. He would stayed that way if Roy didn't step out the door and come across him as he was making his way into town to visit Rick.

"Oh, hey there, Ranma. What are you doing here?"

Ranma snapped out of his thought. He replied. "Um, mom said you wanted to see me."

Roy had to think back to the last time he talked to his sister about Ranma. "Okay. Say, Ranma, would you like to join me into the city?"

"Sure! I was on my way there anyway."

Ranma joined Roy as he headed to a jeep.

They headed into town in silence. Ranma didn't say anything because he didn't know why his uncle wanted to see him. Roy, on the other hand, couldn't figure out a way to broach the subject. He might have been able to do this if it was somebody normal, but this was family. He couldn't say, _"Hey, why don't you join in the fight against these aliens. You might get killed, and that would break your mother's heart, but we need all the people we can get_._"_ No he could just say that. He probably could ask Rick that way, but he already knew Rick's attitude towards the military.

Then he thought, _Maybe, I should just talk to him. I mean I haven't really seen him in over twelve years._

"So, how are things goin'?" he asked.

""Huh?" Ranma replied, unsure if he just heard.

"I was just wondering if things were okay. Ya know, with suddenly being uprooted from Earth and thrown out to the edge of the solar system."

"All right, I guess."

Roy realized this could be easier than he thought. He could lead this conversation to the topic he wanted. "Well, I just ask because your mom is kind of worried about you."

This was a surprise to Ranma. Roy could tell there was might something to the silence. So he added, "Yeah, yeah, she worried about you. Hard to believe, ain't it?"

"B-But what is she worried about?"

Roy went on to explain how she was worried when it seem Ranma was depressed because he hadn't been in a fight for quite awhile. Ranma hadn't thought much about the fights in the past. He was grateful he didn't have a new (or old) challengers every day, but in a way, he did miss the excitement.

"But there's nothing I could do about it now. I already know there aren't any dojos in town." He thought to himself, _Though it's odd a place with soldiers wouldn't have a dojo_.

"Well, how would you like to join the RDF and fight against the enemy?" Roy asked outright.

Ranma wasn't sure what to say. A dilemma went on in Ranma's mind. Joining the military would go against one of his basic principles, killing his opponent, but joining the military meant he would certainly have to kill. A small portion of his mind said that he didn't necessarily have to kill to be in the military. Then the rational part of his mind told him there was no way around killing. Suddenly a portion of his mind that had never spoken before said that if he did join, he'd be able to fly one of those planes. For some reason, that sounded exciting to Ranma.

Roy could understand the silence coming from his nephew. He was certain the killing aspect played through Ranma's mind. He went through the same thing before he joined the Global Civil War, as do many of people in times of war.

"If you're unsure, think about it," Roy said. "You don't have to decide right now."

Ranma didn't reply immediately. It took awhile for the statement to process in the brain with all the other happenings going on. But when it did, Ranma gave a simple, "Okay."

Roy rolled up to the White Dragon.

"This's exactly where I was goin'," Ranma said as he hopped out of the jeep.

The two walked into the restaurant and were quite surprised to see it packed and busy.

"When did this happen?" Roy inquired.

Ranma shrugged his shoulders. He was coming here to help straighten up, but it didn't look like he was going to be needed.

"And just where have you been?" asked a female's voice off to their right. Ranma looked and found Minmei trying to look upset. Trying being the key word because Minmei wasn't the type of person who could get mad, and Ranma knew that. Instead it looked like she was pouting.

"Hey, I didn't tell anybody to be an eager beaver and start before me."

Minmei let out a laugh that essentially admitted her guilt. Then she asked if he liked what was going on. Ranma didn't quite understand what she was getting at, but Roy did and commented that it was good for the businesses in town to reopen. At this time Ranma understood.

Minmei paid him no mind as she thanked Roy for the compliment, saying that it was her idea.

"And it was a good one at that." Next Roy asked, "Say, where's Rick?"

Minmei appeared hesitant to answer. When she did, she said that Rick wasn't there. For a moment there, it appeared to Ranma that Minmei was worried. And the same thought came to Roy.

"Is something the matter?"

"Well I'm worried about Rick," Minmei replied. "It's like he just moping around. And he's been like this ever since we were rescued."

Roy had a clue what could make Rick mope. It was lying in ruins in the hanger deck of the _Daedalus_. Roy could sympathize with him. He was just like him at that 16, wanted to only fly. It was the reason he joined the military. With less and less people going to the air show, he needed an outlet to display his abilities.

It was then that he thought about his earlier thought. Just maybe if he offered Rick a chance to fly again, he would go for it. Even if it is for the military.

"Commander Fokker, you're a good friend of his. Do you think you could talk to him?" Minmei asked, bringing him back to the present.

"Sure. Anything to help a beautiful woman like you," Roy replied. It was part of Roy's basic makeup. 'Anything for the girls.' That had been his motto. "I'll just go talk to him now."

With that Roy took leave of the restaurant. Minmei realized that he couldn't possibly know where Rick was. Stepping out the door, she said just that. Roy looked at her from the jeep and said he knew where Rick was. Turning the ignition, Roy drove off towards the _Daedalus_.

Minmei went back into the restaurant and found Ranma sitting in essentially the same table as the first time he came into the White Dragon. But it was a different looking Ranma. Minmei had always seen Ranma with a confident smile, but he wasn't smiling. Instead he had a look of contemplation. She wondered if it was something new in his personality. Something since the last time she saw him just before moving in with her aunt and uncle.

She took a sat at the table and asked, "Say, what's up?"

Ranma didn't initially answer her. He was trying to figure out what he should do. It was a simple question for him to answer. To become a murderer or not. He wished Ucchan was here. She was always good at listening when he needed to work out his thoughts.

He turned his head in Minmei's direction just as she repeated herself.

"Huh?"

"I was saying what's up?"

"Oh, nutin'," Ranma replied. Then he thought that he should be able to talk to Minmei. After all she was his other best friend. "I take it back. I was talkin' to my uncle, and he asked me to become a soldier."

"Well, that's great!" But she couldn't see why it would cause him to react to it this way.

Somehow Ranma knew that was going to be her reply. "But that's just the point."

"What point?" asked Minmei.

Ranma could understand Minmei not being able to understand his predicament. She wasn't a martial artist, and her goals in life didn't involve becoming one. He knew that she wanted to become an idol singer and be a bride. She was so innocent that way. So he would do most anything to see her attain her goals.

"Soldiers must kill. Especially the type of soldier my uncle wants me to be."

"So," replied Minmei, rather bluntly. She didn't understand why that would be a problem. Would he not be protecting those who couldn't protect themselves?

When Ranma heard that, he didn't know how, but it seemed to make up his mind. It was as if his mind found some type of justification. But his mind wasn't completely made. First he would have to talk it over with his mother.

So with a smile, Ranma said, "Gee, thanks, Minmei."

He got up and started to leave.

"And just where do you think you're goin'?" question Minmei from behind.

Ranma turned around and said he was going to see his mom. To which Minmei reminded him of his promise to help out in the White Dragon. Ranma thought that meant helping clean the restaurant up, and with it clean and open for business, he wasn't needed. That was when Minmei said he could help by waiting on customers.

Ranma groaned as he was found himself stuck working at another Chinese restaurant. At least it won't be like working at a certain Chinese Amazon's restaurant.

* * *

Elsewhere on the ship, Lisa Hayes was sitting in the Observation Deck, winding down from her just completed shift. Situated just above the carrier _Prometheus_, she looked through the view port onto the field of stars and sighed. She was happy but also sad. She had finally kept the promised she made so long ago, but the person with whom she made that promise was no longer alive. She couldn't even tell her father how it felt to be in space.

"So what's with the long face?" asked a voice from out of nowhere.

Lisa turned in its direction and was surprised to see Claudia Grant. Just like her, Claudia's shift had just ended. She had expected her to try to find some time with Lieutenant Commander Fokker, since the two have barely been able to see each other these days. Claudia quickly explained that he was nowhere to be found, as she took a seat.

"Now are you going to answer the question or keep avoiding it?"

Lisa tried to play like she was clueless as to what Claudia was talking about, but Claudia gave the clear expression that she wasn't going to fall for it.

"I guess it's being here," Lisa finally replied.

"In space? But Lisa, I thought that what you always wanted."

Lisa replied that it was. But for some reason she felt a sudden emptiness, of not being able to share the experience with someone. She had rationalized that had something to do with not being to achieve a radio signal with Earth and her father.

In response Claudia suggested that maybe Lisa needed to be more sociable. Lisa was a beautiful woman, and Claudia personally knew there were those amongst the male crewmember that would love to date her. But Claudia knew there was something in Lisa's past that closed her off to the world except for duty.

Thinking herself saved, Lisa spied Roy entering the Observation Deck. Before mentioning to Claudia, she saw the guy with him. Claudia said that it was Roy's friend that had been lost for many days. So she didn't bother to leave.

By this time, Lisa was finished with her soda. "Look, I'm going to get some rest before the next shift. See you on the bridge."

With that, she walked out towards the officers' barracks.

Claudia watched her and thought, _That girl needs a man in her life. Or she'll become an old maid. She's just too pretty to be an old maid._

She looked over to Roy and found that he was now by himself. Slowly she slinked behind him, put her arms around him and kissed him on the side of the neck.

"You know, Rick, I don't think we should do this. There's no telling how Claudia will take it," Roy joked, knowing full well that it was Claudia. You don't become an ace pilot without knowing your surroundings, especially when you sit next to a window that reflects against the void of space.

"Oh, so you go both ways," replied Claudia, putting in a headlock. She knew it was a joke, and Roy knew she knew.

"I guess I can never fool you, dear," Roy said with a giggle.

"So, is everything all right?" Claudia asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Everything's fine," answered Roy. "In fact, I might have two recruits instead of one!"

"So Ranma said yes?" she asked since she knew of his sister's request.

"No, but I'm pretty sure he'll say yes. He's a Hasegawa. Flying's in our blood."

"Funny, you're name is Fokker, and his is Saotome," joked Claudia.

* * *

The Zentraedi fleet still hung in space around the moon. It wasn't like they did not know where the SDF-1 had jumped. Unlike the last time, they were able to quickly locate it out in the orbit of the last planet of the system.

No, the fleet just didn't immediately follow. At first it stayed expecting the SDF-1 to fold back at any time. When that didn't happen, the Zentraedi decide it was best to gather information on their new enemy.

Breetai and Exedore were in the command bubble watching recovered video from the raid to retake Zor's ship. What they saw confirmed what they already expected.

The enemy was Micronian.

"Do you think we shouldn't pursue?" asked Exedore. "Our ancient records warn us to avoid any contact with the Micronians."

"Well, then we'll just leave their planet alone," replied Breetai. "It's not what we're here for."

"So we're going to concentrate on the battle fortress?"

It was a question that Exedore already knew the answer. Their objective was Zor's ship. It shouldn't be difficult retrieving it from its current possessors, especially if they fought in the same manner as the first assault.

"Yes, we will. Prepare the fleet for a spacefold jump."

Exedore bowed, "It shall be done."

"And have an appropriate reconnaissance vessel sent out once the fold operation is done." Breetai added.

"Yes, m'lord."

* * *

Rick walked back to the White Dragon, looking very much like Ranma when he entered. He left to look at what remained of his dream. Now that he was back, he had to think about the potential opportunity that just opened up to him.

That was the problem. It was joining the military. His view of the military had been largely shaped by his father, who was against it. But it was his opportunity to fly again. He didn't have much else to offer the city, skill-wise.

As he was about to enter his rented room, he was stopped by Minmei. Inviting him into her room, she asked, "So how did it go?"

Entering, Rick momentarily stopped think of the RDF. "Horrible," he replied. Then he went on. "Have you ever had a dream?"

Minmei gave him a giggle. Everyone had dreams, so the question just seemed funny. When she stopped laughing, she asked Rick it could open up the window. Opening it, he watched mecha pass by on its way to another portion of the ship.

Personally Rick didn't like that she was laughing. _Mockingbird_ was something special to him, and she was laughing at it. In a depressed tone, he said, "Well I had a dream, and now it's a pile of scrap."

Minmei now understood what this was all about. No longer was it funny. She could easily equate it with her singing or Ranma's desire to be the best martial artist in the world.

Sitting on the windowsill, he looked back at Minmei, sitting on her bed, and saw an envelope on a bookcase. He chuckled. He never thought that they have the mail going so soon.

"What's so funny?" Minmei asked.

Rick got up and picked up the envelope. "I was just surprised to see that you already have mail."

"Oh, that. That's what I coming to get when you rescued us."

Rick had an odd curiosity as to what it was he risked neck for. Taking out the letter, he knew by the letterhead that it had something with music.

"It's about the Miss Macross contest."

"Miss Macross contest!" Rick echoed as he read the letter. After a brief silence, he continued, "It says that you made it."

"Yeah, but it's pointless now. I don't think they'll have it."

At some point in the conversation, Rick forgot about his situation. Now he seemed intent on Minmei's. "You shouldn't say that. I bet they have once we get back to Earth."

"That's if we get back to Earth."

Rick didn't say anything in response. But he did stand there with a smile. He had to think about it for a moment but soon realized that their situations were similar.

"Say, wanna go for a walk?" Rick asked. Minmei was caught by surprise. "I mean I've only seen the city in ruins. Maybe you could show me around."

Minmei wasn't sure, but she thought she had just been asked out on a date. Unfortunately she couldn't go. She had to help her aunt and uncle.

"It 'snot that busy," Rick said. "And I sure that red head should be able to handle things."

Minmei hesitated in answering, but then said okay. "But first I have to tell Ranma."

And then she left the room, leaving Rick to question why she needed to let Ranma know.

Minutes later, Ranma watched Minmei and Rick leave and wondered what god was punishing him (or should we say her) by having him waitressing.

* * *

Ship's radar picked up activity out in the void of space. What it picked up was the arrival of the Zentraedi Fleet with a vessel making its way to the SDF-1. The information was relayed to Vanessa, who promptly relayed it to Captain Gloval.

"They were bound to show up eventually," he declared. Returning to his chair, he ordered, "Prepare to repel an attack and launch a counterattack."

"Aye aye, Captain," replied Lisa.

She went over the PA. "Attention. Attention. Enemy attack. I repeat, enemy attack. This is not a drill. Scramble all Veritechs. Scramble all Veritechs."

With the sounding of general quarters, the carriers came alive with activity. Pilots ran to their Veritechs while flight crews made sure they were properly armed. From there, Veritechs went up the elevators to the flight deck, where they were passed onto the cat crews and flight controllers. Once hooked up, the catapults launched them into the void.

To the uninitiated, the process of launching a Veritech off a carrier seemed very chaotic. But to those involved, it was ballet.

* * *

It had been two hours since they left the restaurant. Minmei showed Rick the town. Everything was just how she remembered it. She ended her tour in the one of the sections yet to be completed. They stood a level up and looked down on Macross City. The area was covered with dirt and surrounded by shrubbery for the park was going to be there.

Minmei looked over the side, holding the rail. "Wow, what a view!"

Rick just grunted his response to her. Looking out, he would have to agree with her. The city that he had partly in destroyed looked very much unscathed. He deemed it an engineering miracle that the citizens were able to rebuild the town in such a short amount of time, especially since it was in the belly of a spaceship.

"It's so..." Minmei started to say when a female voice came over the PA announcing the enemy attack. She turned to Rick with a worried expression on her face. "Will we be all right?" she asked in a voice reminiscent of when she seemed to lose hope of Ranma finding them.

The air raid sirens went off. Rick didn't really care that the enemy was attacking. Roy would take care of it. He always did. It was his job.

Minmei didn't like the attitude Rick was taking. It was like no one could fight them but Roy. Rick was an excellent pilot, probably better than any of those other pilots.

Rick wasn't paying attention to her. He just looked up at the ceiling and wondered what **his** Big Brother was doing.

* * *

Roy led Skull Squadron in the most furious dogfight he'd ever been in. Space was filled with Battlepods and Zentraedi fighters spiraling around the SDF-1's defenders. What Roy noticed, they were far better in the vacuum of space than the atmosphere of Earth. They were killing off more of his men and using better tactics than what was used on Earth.

The numbers the Zentraedi threw into the fight were impressive. Roy would destroy one pod and another pod would be zeroed in on him. Needless to say, Roy would end up with a high kill number in the end.

* * *

"Our decoy vessel is now within their firing range," came the report to Breetai.

Breetai and Exedore watched the tactical display. Believing the current holders of Zor's ship would use the same tactic as them, Exedore was perplexed that the SDF-1 hadn't fired its main gun at the decoy.

Breetai stood, arms folded across his chest, trying to get into the mindset of his opposite. What drove this man to commit such an act of folding inside a planet's gravity? Now Breetai had presented him was a prime sacrifice in the source of the recon vessel, and commander of Zor's ship refused to fire upon it.

"Hmmm. What are you planning, my dear Micronian friend?" Breetai murmured.

"Perhaps we should offer them another enticement," Exedore suggested, "and see what they do."

Breetai hummed and thought it a good idea. So he ordered to have the recon vessel open fire. From that order the commander of the recon vessel opened fire. Understanding the importance of the fortress, the vessel only used its secondary batteries. Not a single beam struck the SDF-1 on the first volley. That didn't mean the SDF-1 was untouched.

* * *

Lisa was knocked to floor as exploding debris rocked the ship. Picking herself up, she felt a little embarrassed since the others were able to remain at the station. Fatigue was setting in as Lisa was working on two hours of sleep.

"Are you all right?" Gloval asked his first officer.

"I'm okay," Lisa replied.

Gloval looked over to a console just to his left and studied the damage report. The ship was rocked by another barrage of near misses. Or so they thought. The second barrage actually hit the reactor subcontrol unit, located just below the bridge. This threw the ladies into their consoles and Gloval half way out of his chair.

Gloval looked at his console once more, then stood and looked out the forward viewport, and watched the blossoming explosions of destroyed Battlepods and Veritechs. About this time he received a call from engineering explaining the damage but saying they'll manage. Gloval replied that he was counting on them to do so.

* * *

The White Dragon emptied once it was announced the ship was under attack. The only ones remaining were the Lynns, Ranma (now back to his normal gender), and Nodoka, who rushed to the White Dragon once the sirens went off. Sure it was probably safer on the base, but she felt the safest place for her was near her son. Minmei and Rick were again missing. Ranma attempted to leave, but Nodoka wasn't going to let him go.

"So does it hurt?" Lena asked Ranma. She was as fascinated about Ranma's shape-shifting ability as Ukyo was the first time she saw it.

Ranma looked at her clueless as to what she was talking able. Lena could see this in Ranma's face, so she added, "Changing from male to female that is."

"Oh!" exclaimed Ranma, now understanding. "Only my pride, at first. Pops raised me to believe that girls were weak. So I was depressed those first few weeks after I changed into a girl. Then there was my fiancée, who called me a pervert from the minute she found out I was a guy."

Nodoka sat off to the side listening to Ranma. She already heard all this in one of the many conversations they had. Though she was drinking tea, she was grinding her teeth in anger, thinking about Genma's attitude towards women. It was another reason why she wished to divorce him when they returned to Earth.

"Did Minmei know about this?" Lena inquired.

Of course she knew. Ranma had wanted to keep it secret, but the first time he snuck off to visit her, water found him as usual, and he changed right in front of her.

Unfortunately he didn't complete the story for that was when the reactor subcontrol unit was hit. It was greater than the last impacts of few moments ago. Everyone was knocked to the floor. The sound of dishes falling permeated throughout the building

"Isn't everyone okay?" Max asked, quickly answered by a group of yeses.

Ranma got up and began to walk out, saying he was going to find Minmei and Rick but was stopped Nodoka's pleading voice. She was the only one that didn't reply when Max asked if they were okay. Turning to face her, he saw a visibly shaken woman. He had never expected to see that from his mother. His mother was a strong woman and skilled fighter. Seeing her shaken was unimaginable. Instantly he was by her side to comfort her, no longer thinking about Minmei and Rick. She was the most important woman in his world. Lena saw the state of her new friend and went to get her another cup of tea.

No one knew about this but it was the first time that Nodoka was involved in an incidence like this. Ranma had been in almost constant battle since leaving his mother, while Max and Lena stayed and operated a restaurant while rebels tried to take over Macross Island and the SDF-1. Nodoka, on the other hand, had the fortunate of stay on the Japanese home islands, which never became involved in the Global Civil War. For her (and most other Japanese) the war was just on television.

At times Ranma had the ability of being clueless to the things around him. It was impossible for him to ignore what was affecting his mother. If he wasn't convinced about joining the RDF, he was now. He never wanted his mother to feel this fear anymore.

* * *

The first volley now seemed to clearly be a warning shot. The second only hit the reactor subcontrol unit and those that followed continued grazing the SDF-1. With each graze, the ship shuttered. With each shutter, Nodoka gripped Ranma tighter. With each shutter, the bridge crew was pushed into the instruments.

Sitting back up, Vanessa studied her monitor and said, "Captain, damage control reports that the second and fifth laser turrets have sustained heavy damage. They'll be out of action a minimum of seven hours."

That started the flood of the other various damages. Before Gloval could comment, the SDF-1 shook from another barrage. This time it lifted a missile launching tube from the ship, scattering wreckage and human body parts.

That was it for Gloval. He had tried to get through this without using the main gun. Macross City was just getting back to normalcy. In fact he'd heard that one of the restaurants had just reopened. But enough was enough. Angrily he said, "That's the last straw! Prepare to fire the main gun!"

The girls gasped as they all knew of the captain's reluctance to use the main gun.

Now sitting in his chair, Gloval calmly commanded, "Upon my command, we're going to implement Dr. Lang's designated modular transformation."

Kim was the first to speak in protest. "But, Captain, what of the citizens. If we do this, then the town might…"

"That's right. The damage would be…" Sammie interrupted, only to be interrupted herself.

"I understand your concern, girls. But it's either take that risk or have the SDF-1 destroyed," stated Gloval.

That pretty much ended the subject.

Lisa was the first one to set things into motion. "Attention all systems! Attention all systems!" she said. "Begin preparations to fire the main gun." Her voice went throughout the ship as she set the countdown for the transformation at three minutes.

Technicians in the engine room thought that it was a joke. The people on the bridge couldn't possibly be going through with that crazy idea of Dr. Lang. But when Lisa came back, saying, "Two minutes, fifty seconds and counting," they knew it was for real and started to get things into motion.

* * *

Back at the park, Rick and Minmei once again stood up after being knocked around like everyone else when the reactor subcontrol unit was hit. Rick brushed dirt off his clothes when the female voice, he was starting to hate, came over the PA again.

"Attention all citizens! The ship will be going under a modular transformation in two minutes. This is going to be a dangerous operation. So please take the precautions to insure your safety.

"Please move outside at once. Be aware of possible quake damage. And if possible, make it to a designated safe area."

Then in a softer tone, she said, "And good luck."

Minmei looked at Rick rather confused. She wondered what this transformation was. Rick looked at her as if saying 'How would I know? You've been around here longer than me.' But he didn't convey that verbally. Instead he said that it might be something that was developed while they were stranded.

"I guess your friend is out there in the middle of the fighting," Minmei said in a sad tone as she walked back towards the overhang, looking onto the city with its people entering the streets.

In the time that they had been in the park, Rick told her about the offer Roy had presented him. So hearing Minmei's statement caught Rick by surprise. Was she suggesting that he should take up Roy's offer?

Minmei quickly spun it to that she wasn't. She would be perfectly content to not have Rick join the military. But she knew flying airplanes was his dream. It wasn't like she needed him to protect her. That was why she had her big brother, Ranma.

He wasn't upset about that. For some reason, it was like he knew she just wanted him to be happy but not try to push him. And to be happy would be to fly!

"I guess so," he replied. "But if I join, we won't be able to see each other that much, Minmei."

Minmei had to giggle. Rick felt a little hurt that she would laugh at him. But she said, "Don't be silly, Rick. We live on the same ship. You can visit whenever you have a day off. I'm sure Ranma will do the same thing."

It wasn't like he hadn't expected Ranma was going to join. But he put that thought aside. It wasn't like he was competing with Ranma for her. Besides she only thought of him as a friend.

"That's if we survive," he said, flatly.

"Oh, how can you say that? All the soldiers that come to the restaurant will be in the same situation."

"The same situation," Rick said in a low voice. "I'm sure you would know."

Minmei stared at him, stunned. "What?"

* * *

Up on the bridge, Claudia calmly started her countdown, "Ten seconds to transformation."

Gloval put all systems on standby. Kim informed him that D and G blocks were running behind, but they would be able to catch up. Gloval thought that was okay, allowing the countdown to continue.

When she finished countdown, Gloval ordered the modular transformation. Sammie, Kim, and Vanessa spoke to their various sections to get the process moving. Before long, the ship was moving. "Full ship transformation under way, sir," reported Claudia.

Feeling the ship rumble underneath, Gloval knew there was nothing he could do now. He would have to play the situation out and hope for the best.

"Very good," he replied to Claudia.

* * *

"Sometimes I wish Ranma never found us," Rick stated.

Minmei had her back to him, upset about the pilot comment. Hearing what Rick said, she spun around and said, "I can't believe you would say that. I never thought you could be so spiteful. Oh, I hate!"

"Well, the same to you. If what we went through didn't mean anything to you then…"

It was at this time that the ground started shaking, but it was different than before.

The interior started moving as part of the transformation process. Pylons descended from ceiling, and the streets split open. As the ceiling descended, it crushed the tops of some of the buildings, which led to debris. That debris rained down onto the people that stood outside. The Saotomes and the Lynns were safe from the debris because they never made it out of the restaurant (which would be fortunate to come through this unscathed).

Rick and Minmei swayed with the vibrations of the ship. Soon the ground where they stood separated, separating the two. This process caused Minmei to lose her balance. She fell off the newly-made ledge and just barely caught a piece of metal jutting out with her left hand or else she would have fallen to her death.

Rick screamed out her name, fearing for her life. Regaining his balance, Rick ran and jumped the expanding gap.

Minmei saw him fly above her and screamed for him to help. Rick told her to hold on, but that was becoming impossible. She was starting to lose her grip and knew she wasn't going to be able to hold much longer.

Just when her hand lost all grip, Rick's right hand shot down and grabbed onto Minmei's left wrist. Minmei looked up and smiled, grateful to see the unruly brown hair of Rick. "Minmei, hold on," Rick shouted over the ship's rumbling. He brought down his left hand to strengthen his hold and started to lift her up. Once he got Minmei up to him, she latched onto him tightly, sobbing into his sweater.

* * *

On the outside, everything started when the twin booms of the main gun separated like in preparations to fire. Once they were separated, the remains of the center section folded down. While that was going on, the engine section dropped down, the sections that connect the carriers to the ship swung out, and the booms started to move up. The only portion of the ship not to move was the section holding the forecastle.

Roy had just destroyed his tenth Battlepod. During the process of the kill, his Veritech ended up in line with the SDF-1. Time slowed as he watched the beginnings of the transformation. Having been recently brief on it, he exclaimed, "That must be the transformation. I just hope it works."

As these sections moved, the engine and carrier sections elongated.

When everything had stop, the SDF-1 took the form of a gigantic humanoid, a giant technoknight. The engine section became the legs, the carrier sections formed what could be considered arms and shoulders, the center section, the torso, and the twin booms were like shoulder spikes as they rose high above the bridge, which formed the head situated between them.

* * *

"Transformation complete," stated Lisa. "The SDF-1 is now in attack mode."

"Captain, another barrage is coming from one-zero-niner-three."

Gloval was no longer concerned. It was the time to fire the main gun at the enemy ship supplying the barrage. Given the order, Claudia flipped up the safety and fingered the trigger. Lisa quickly directed all Veritechs out of the line of fire. No sooner had Claudia heard this, she pulled the trigger.

Once again the twin booms were in motion. They lowered to extent out in front of bridge. Then red-yellow energy leapt from side to side. This was the buildup of the charge needed for use, and once there was a sufficient charge, the energy shot forth from the SDF-1, straight and true, and vaporized the target along with Battlepods and Zentraedi fighters caught in the beam's wake.

There was a celebratory feel on the bridge. The main gun had successfully fired.

* * *

Rick held Minmei close to him as they walked back to the restaurant. It had taken them fifteen minutes to get down from the park section. Walking through the city conjured up old images from the Global Civil War. Cars were either turned over or wrecked from fallen buildings or poles. Buildings were in various states of disrepair. Some were merely cracked, but those cracks might run up an entire wall. Others were going to have to be rebuilt as they were either caught by a descending pylon or crushed into the ceiling. Emergency medical teams were everywhere. Citizens had various injuries ranging from cuts and sprains to broken bones and concussions.

While they walked, Rick thought about what Minmei and Roy had said. Maybe he should join the military. It had only become a serious thought after looking into Minmei's eyes as he pulled her up. The look of fear for her life was too much for him to take. Even if she didn't have feeling for him, he was developing some for her, and he didn't want her to live in fear while he was around.

The two were quite surprised to find the White Dragon completely intact. Seeing the White Dragon unscathed made up Rick's mind. The restaurant seemed to be the safest place in the city, so she would be safe there.

Just before entering the restaurant, Rick spoke. "Minmei, I'm gonna do it."

The doors opened, and everyone was grateful to see them, but neither Rick nor Minmei noticed.

"What are you going to do?" Minmei asked with complete innocence. After what had happen to her, she hadn't thought about what they'd discussed.

"I'm going to join the military."

Minmei gasped as she realized what he was saying.

"That's great!" said Ranma as he patted Rick on the shoulder. As much as Rick was surprised by the pat on the shoulder, the reaction was quite unexpected from him. Rick thought Ranma was angry with him but Rick didn't know Ranma didn't hold grudges.

"That's right, Minmei did say you were going to join."

Ranma scratched the back of his head, laughing hesitantly.

"What? You're not going to join?" Rick asked.

"I'm kinda working on that with mom," replied Ranma. "Ya see, there was kinda an incident when the ship was hit. And now she feels she can only be safe with me around."

Rick saw this as his chance to be the one out there protecting Minmei. But his mouth spoke before his brain could stop him. "Well, why doesn't she move here? I'm sure the Lynns would love to have her."

Ranma smacked his head. He couldn't believe he had thought of that. The Lynns and his mom seemed to have become good friends since coming to the island. He suggested it to his mom, and the adults laughed. They had just been talking about this. All that was left were the conditions, for it didn't sit well for Nodoka to freeload off them.

Ranma had a look of shock on his face.

"Are you all right?" Minmei asked

It took a while to get over the shock. After living with a freeloading father, that was quite a surprise. Finally he said, "Yeah."


	5. First Battle revised

Characters of Ranma ½ belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 5: First Battle

* * *

On the first day of military training, Ranma was surprised to see how many people were joining. Being somewhat a stranger to the city, he was grateful there was someone with him he knew. But he hadn't seen Rick since the two arrived.

He stood in line with group of guys with long hair. He hadn't realized that he was in the haircut line. Of course the day had been filled with standing in lines. It started with the line to choose a job. That line he didn't have to be in since his uncle had already done that for him. Next was the line to check his vision, which proved he had the best vision the doctor had ever seen. That was followed by the physical examination, proving him to be a fine physical specimen. Then he moved to psychological line, where he had to admit his great fear of cats. The psychiatrist felt it was non-consequential to flying. From there he when into the immunization line, and after that, he was sent to the line he was presently in.

He and two other guys walked into the room. There were three chairs, to which the three sat in. With hair all around the base of the chairs, Ranma should have realized he was about to receive a haircut. That's if Ranma wasn't busy doing mental exercises. Since he had to report early in the morning, he was doing them to keep his mind sharp.

It wasn't until he heard a snip and felt some weight leave his head that Ranma realized something was up. Then he heard his pigtail land on the floor with a plump.

The first thing that went through his mind was the dragon's whisker. He could literally feel his hair growing. If it kept growing, he would soon have no hair. With that thought going through his mind, Ranma let out a bone-chilling scream that seemingly could be heard throughout the ship.

"Geez, son, it's only a haircut," said the barber, calmly.

Ranma stopped screaming and noticed he could still see clearly, and there was no extra weight on his head. Then he remembered that the effects of the dragon's whisker had worn off long ago. Laughing like an idiot, Ranma explained that it was the first time he didn't have a pony/pigtail. In fact it was the first haircut he could remember. The two other guys glared at him as the barbers continued.

"There, you're done," said Ranma's barber.

Ranma hopped out of the chair and was on his way out, when he stopped and turned to the barber. "Say, would it be okay if I had the string that held my pigtail together?" he asked. "It kinda has sentimental value to it."

The barber couldn't understand. It was just hair, but he decided to appease the recruit. So he retrieved it for the kid.

Walking out Ranma had a grin of embarrassment on his face as the others looked at him with a suspicious eye.

* * *

Military training began. After the haircut, Ranma joined his training squadron where he found Rick. Their squadron was one of five flight training squadrons. Because their training took the longest, it was practical to keep the pilot cadets together. They would be together for three months.

The first month, every recruit did the same thing. The first month was the easiest for Ranma solely because of the physical fitness involved. Who could be more physically fit than Ranma? Rick wasn't too bad himself because he'd needed to be fit to withstand the G-loading when performing his acrobatic tricks.

There was also the learning of military discipline and doctrine. It was simple thing to learn, so it didn't bother Ranma.

Then came the combat training. In hand to hand training, Ranma was so skilled that he ended up teaching his instructors a thing or two. When it came to the weapon training, Ranma was naturally quite hesitant. Growing up with the belief that using a weapon is a hindrance, Ranma didn't want to fire the guns. It was only when they told him that he risked being kicked out if he didn't shoot that Ranma participated. Rick witnessed the whole ordeal and shook his head. Naturally Ranma was an expert marksman.

At the end of the month, the five pilot training squadrons transferred over to different barracks. There they started their two-month flight training. They didn't flying that first day or even that first week. No, the first two weeks was spent learning how to fly and how to fly in zero gravity. This meant classroom work, plus time in the simulators.

The simulator was just a game to an experience aviator as Rick Hunter or someone with superior hand-eye coordination as Ranma Saotome. The classroom work was harder for both Ranma and Rick, the only ones in their group not graduated from high school, but more so for Ranma than Rick. Ranma was surprised he was able to grasp the mathematics, but the science was simply over his head. There were times when he wished Akane were there as he reminisced about the many times she helped him study.

Rick, on the other hand, had a firm grasp on the science. Science had always been his favorite subject in school, but he hated mathematics. Though mathematics played an integral part in flying, he'd never much paid attention to it in class. When the two boys realized that their strengths in what they were being taught was the others weakness, they became study partners and good friends.

Everyone learned how the helmets interacted with the mecha. Nicknamed "thinking caps," the flight helmets were studded with sensors that picked up brain waves. It supposedly worked by the pilot thinking out the move the Veritech performed. It was more useful while in Battloid or Guardian modes. But the Veritech's controls still allowed it to be flown by someone inexperienced, i.e. Rick on Launch Day, without the "thinking cap" but wouldn't be able to perform as it was meant.

It wasn't until the middle of the third week that the cadets were able to put into practice what they had learned. Of course that was contingent on any Zentraedi attack. The first two weeks were spent in VF-1Ds (first in the back seat then front), and the remaining time was spent VF-1As. With Rick's superior flying ability and Ranma's many hours in the simulators, the two friends proved to be the best pilots in the group.

Through it all, Ranma didn't have his curse activated once, even though there were several times he was splashed with cold water. It perplexed him the first two times, but he rationalized that it might have something to do with not being on Earth.

* * *

Roy passed out the replacement list to the commanders of the nine other squadrons. The ten new pilots each would get were much needed. After months of constant fighting, there was a bad ratio of fighters to pilots from all of the casualties suffered by the RDF.

They all went down list, showing actual flight hours and hours in the simulator. They had all heard of the two hotshot pilots, Cadets Saotome and Hunter, coming through this mini-academy. They knew that one of them would go to Skull Squadron since the CAG was its commander. There was no way both of them would be assigned to Skull Squadron.

Hunter's name came first on the list and was designated Skull. There were four unspoken "Yes!" as they knew they had a shot to bring greater glory to their squadron. Those dreams were snapped as Saotome was designated for Skull Squadron too. Sure they all had their share of great newbies, but a hotshot was a hotshot, even if they were unproven.

"Well, hopefully these guys will work out," commented Commander Louis Alexander, commander of the Ghost Squadron, commonly referred as Ghost Riders.

The commanders of Wolf and Vermillion Squadron made comments to the same effect before they left from Roy's office to their offices. As they left, Roy knew they were leaving with some words unspoken.

Why both Ranma and Rick were tapped to join his squadron?

His decision for Ranma was quite simple. His big sister would kill him if he didn't lookout for his nephew. Rick, on the other hand, was sheer coincidence. He did assignments by a simple 1-...-10 process. He could have done it in a more professional manner, but he was bored at the time. Rick ended up on Skull Squadron by the luck of the draw.

Then again, it could be neither here nor there if they were a wash in combat.

* * *

Back at the training area, the last of the new ensigns walked out of the barracks carrying their duffle bags. Preparations for the next group were set to start. When it appeared that the pilot had left, the flight instructors went around to make sure nothing was left. Of the fifty rooms, forty-nine and a half were empty. The instructor just shook his head. He didn't have to look at the nameplate to know who was quartered there.

_I swear that kid's going to merge with the simulator from all of the hours he's logged_, the instructor thought as he made his way there.

"How long he's been in there?" the instructor asked the simulator technician, upon entering the simulator room.

"Ensign Saotome's been in there for about two hours now, sir," replied the tech.

The instructor looked the window into the simulator room. In there was a mach up of a VF-1A in a sphere that allowed the pilot to change modes as if he was actually flying (though the tail section wasn't included). When activated, the room worked with holographic projections, allowing the pilot to see the situation as actual combat.

"What level?"

"Seventeen as usual, sir."

_Of course he'd be on that level_, thought the instructor.

There was a monitor that allowed people to check the progress of the pilots but now wasn't the time for that.

Calmly the instructor picked up the microphone and said, "Ensign Saotome, do you know what time it is?"

"Ah!" Ranma was startled by voice not associated with the program. "1030, sir," came his reply.

"And what was supposed to be done by 1000 hours?"

The instructor waited for the reply. Soon he heard Ranma say, "Awe, damn!" With that, the simulator stopped from the opening of the canopy. A figure in a white trimmed with forest green fight suit wearing a white helmet also trimmed with forest green hopped out of the mach up and ran out of the room.

"Gee, sir, you seem rather calm with him today," stated the tech.

"Well that's because he's no longer my responsibility," the instructor replied with a smile. For two long months, he had to spend time with Cadet Ranma Saotome. He was sure he would make a great pilot. Some of the things he'd witnessed Saotome do, he wasn't sure Commander Fokker could do. But the kid was so wrapped up in chaos. Some of the weirdest things seemed to happen when he was around.

"Besides, I have been told he's suppose to meet the CAG in ten minutes," the instructor added, with a slight laugh.

* * *

Ranma ran for all it was worth. First day on duty, and he was already late for a meeting with his commander. He looked at his watch, which read 1040, and cursed himself for thinking that he would be able to finally finish that simulation before the move. He began to wonder why Skull Squadron's read room was so far away from the base. But who was he to complain? He was just a lowly ensign who hadn't seen any combat yet.

He made his way through the newly revamped Macross City. The new city plans had taken into account the transformation, so buildings were zoned to prevent such devastation. Plus the shelters were clearly marked. At that moment, Ranma didn't have the chance to notice any of this.

"It's nice to have you stop by," Roy said when Ranma finally made it to the ready room. He was in his purple and black flight suit, leaning in the doorway while eating an apple.

Ranma snapped a sharp salute, and said, "Ensign Saotome reporting as order."

Roy returned the salute and replied, "Well I didn't exactly order you here. But I see that you're ready for duty."

Ranma was confused as to what he meant.

"Though I thought you might wanna see your mother," Roy continued. "But if you like, we're about to go on patrol. You can join if you want."

Ranma couldn't believe his ears. He was just offered to go his first combat patrol. Though he had yet been assigned a Veritech, he agreed nonetheless.

Roy led him into the hanger deck and to his plane. Now here was a sign of nepotism. Ranma was just an ensign, so he should have been assigned a VF-1A, but Roy pulled some strings and was able to get two VF-1Js, which were reserved for squadron commanders.

They walked up to a VF-1J. Once Roy told him that it belonged to him, Ranma went about his business and started his preflight check, ingrained into him these past two months. First he looked at his Veritech. It was predominately white, unlike the training Veritechs, burnt orange and tan of the VF-1D or sandy-brown of the VF-1A. It was also trimmed in forest green with a line on the wings and vertical stripe on the engine section/lower legs.

Once he finished his checks, he climbed into the cockpit to get a feel of things. Though everything was the same as the trainers, it just felt a different.

"You're all set, sir," a feminine voice said, disturbing his peace.

Ranma looked over to see his crew chief descending from the plane. The minute she was down, Ranma felt a jolt of excitement from noticing the canopy closing and he was moving. Ranma automatically lowered the tinted bubble that activated his personal air system.

Soon Ranma was on the elevator heading up to the flight deck. He looked over to his right and saw another Veritech coming up with him. As the two rose, the tailfins folded up and the wings extended out slightly from the frame. Then Roy came over the tac-net. "All right, Ranma, this is going to be a routine two-man patrol. Once we're launched, I want you to form up on me in a wingman position."

Ranma smiled behind his visor. His first combat patrol was going to be with Skull Leader. Throughout training the instructors told all of them that his uncle was the best pilot on the ship. Since it was always Ranma's goal to be the best there ever was, he wanted to observe how Roy flew.

When they reached the flight deck, Ranma watched two Veritechs launch out into deep space. At that point he wondered where Rick was. He hadn't seen him since they were commissioned into the RDF.

"Say, Commander, do you know where Ensign Hunter is?" Ranma asked over the tac-net.

"Probably down in the city, using his pass," Roy replied.

"Pass?" Ranma said in a confused tone.

Roy could tell that his nephew knew nothing about the twelve-hour pass his new pilots were given, but now wasn't the time to talk. They both fired up their engines and taxied out to the catapults. Catapult crews did their dance to get them ready for launch. Once the Veritechs were hooked up, both pilots gave a sharp salute, signifying they were ready. Keeping their hands off the controls, they rocketed off the deck, first Roy, then Ranma.

* * *

"Damnit," muttered the female voice of a certain redhead. She had been saying this for some time now. Ranma hadn't changed in three months. Now the first chance he had to wear his usual red silk shirt and black pants, he was splashed with water, activating his Jusenkyo curse.

Then she happened to curse when the doors of the White Dragon opened with her mother stepping through them. The mother who had been trying her hardest to eliminate such language from her daughter. Ranma was in luck for about a minute. With her new haircut, Nodoka didn't recognize her immediately. Ranma could see it in her eyes, but she could see in those eyes when recognition happened.

"Young lady, what have I told you about using such language," Nodoka said in a stern voice. Though she knew the young lady was her son, she preferred to refer to him as a lady whenever he was in his curse form. It was perfectly understandable to Ranma.

"Sorry, mom," replied Ranma, sounded apologetic.

"Now, go and ask Max for some hot water." With that Ranma sloughed his way into the restaurant. Nodoka watched, thinking, _What am I going to about him? That man was too bad an influence on him. Once again, I wish I knew that about him, for I would have never married him._

Into the kitchen the redhead walked. Along the way, she turned the heads of some of her fellow pilots. Ranma walked back to Nodoka, noticing the guys were watching the kitchen door, waiting for the return of the redhead. Some of the guys he recognized from the time he waitressed here. They all must've been waiting on her to return.

"So what's up?" Ranma asked, just like he'd seen her recently.

Nodoka couldn't believe how much different Ranma looked without the pigtail. She could almost see the little boy that left her so many years ago. Since she was glancing at Ranma, she missed his question. It wasn't until Ranma waved his hand in front of her face that she realized she spaced out.

Ranma repeated his question; this time Nodoka replied that she was about to take his sister shopping. The shopping district had just opened, and Minmei was dying to go. Over the past three months, Nodoka started liking the thought of Minmei as Ranma's sister, and Minmei liked having Nodoka act as a mother.

That prompted Ranma to ask where Minmei was. No sooner had Ranma said it that she walked through the doors, carrying a picnic basket and dragging Rick, dressed in uniform-blue pants with a white tunic trimmed in red. Upon seeing Ranma, she let go of Rick, dropped the basket, and gave Ranma a big "good to see you" hug and kiss on the cheek. This naturally caused Ranma to receive evil stares from restaurant patrons.

"G-Gee, Minmei, it was only three months. Not like that time when I didn't see you for a year," stammered Ranma.

"Awe, come on, Ranma," Minmei giggled, releasing him.

* * *

Lisa was grateful for some time off. With the off and on attacks, it was she was pretty much working twenty-four hour shifts. She lied in her bed after being ordered not to appear on the bridge or be in uniform for twenty-four hours. Twelve of it was already gone as she literally slept it away.

But what was she going to do for the next twelve.

"Hell, I'm not going to spend it in here," she said to herself. _Maybe I'll go into town_, she thought to herself. It was a good idea since she hadn't since the reconstruction.

Hopping out of the bed, she made her way to the closet to pick something to wear. She called Claudia to see if she was off duty and wanted to join her. She got was a busy signal which meant only one thing, Roy Fokker. As she ended the call, she wondered if she'd ever feel that type of love again.

She shook her head to forget those thoughts. She was doing fine as it was. Looking in the closet, she picked out a yellow turtleneck sweater and blue skirt.

A half-hour later, she went out the door just as Sammie and Kim walked past her room.

"Oh, hey, Lisa," Kim said, smile on her face.

"Hi, girls," she replied. Then a thought came. "Say, what are you two about to do?"

"Well, we were going into town to do a little shopping," answered Sammie.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"No problem," came back Sammie. "Besides, us girls have to stick together."

That garnered a laugh from the three as they made their way to town.

* * *

Ranma had no clue how he had gotten himself in this situation. All he knew he went to the restaurant to see his mother, then Minmei got a hold of him, and off shopping he went. He hated shopping, especially with girls. Back in Nerima, he could always find a way to get out of it, especially with the ever-present threat of attack (though he never minded when it was for Kasumi).

And it wasn't just one store. First they went to a toy store to get something for Jason, then a gift store so Minmei could get for Rick. After that was the shoe store. Ranma couldn't believe how many shoes Minmei tried on. At the present, they were headed to a clothing store.

It wasn't like all the stores were close by. Though the shopping district wasn't big, when you're the one carrying all the bags, the walk could be excruciating long.

"Hey, Ranma, has anyone told you how handsome you look without the pigtail," Minmei stated.

Minmei could recognize Ranma was getting irritated. The statement was a simple distraction ploy.

"That's not going to work this time," replied Ranma. He recognized the statement for what it was.

"But you do," she came back in her sweet voice. Looking at Ranma, she could tell this wasn't going to work. "All right, last store. Meanie."

Minmei once again grabbed onto an arm and drug him into a women's boutique. The first things Ranma saw were bras and panties and shivered as a chill went down his spine. When Minmei entered the dressing room, Ranma set down the bags and brought out the sole thing he had bought, juggling balls. He'd always seen them used by street performers, but he was never able to have enough money to buy some. Now that he was going to have steady pay, he bought them while they were in the gift shop.

He started by tossing one ball between each hand. Quickly he moved to two. Feeling that he had gotten the hang of two balls, he added the third. He thought juggling was easy, then a bell rung, signaling that someone had entered the store.

For someone that had great concentration, he had no explanation as to why the bell broke it. One ball knocked another, and soon they all ended up on the floor. Ranma quickly scurried after them.

Ranma crawled on the floor as Lisa, Kim and Sammie entered the boutique. The storeowner greeted them at the door, having known them on Earth. A kind lady, she mentioned she had lingerie on sale. So the girls went over to the lingerie section. After thirty seconds of browsing, Lisa felt something brush again her legs. Any other woman's first reaction would be to jump and scream, but not Lisa. She was raised military, so she barely flinched. Instead she looked down to see what it was.

What she saw was the back of a guy wearing a red shirt with his head in between her leg. She speculated that it was his extended arm she felt. But there shouldn't be a guy on the floor of a boutique, unless he was a pervert.

"Do you like what you see," she said calmly.

* * *

Gathering the balls for Ranma was like playing with super balls the way they bounced. He caught first one was easily since it bounced right back up. The other two bounced in separate directions. He went after the one that went left first because it was headed for the changing room. He didn't want to labeled a pervert aboard a ship where everyone knew your. Fortunately he caught it before it got to the changing rooms.

The final ball headed for the front door. It stopped bouncing and was rolling under a table. Common sense said to wait until it rolled out from underneath the table. But Ranma didn't think that way. Ranma got on his hands and knees and started crawling. Unfortunately he misjudged its roll rate and didn't get it before it rolled from underneath the table.

But it did stop. Once again common sense would have told him to get from under the table, but no one ever said the Ranma Saotome had much common sense. Completely ignorant of the three sets of legs on the other side of the table, he stuck his head and right arm from under the table. He didn't feel when his arm brushed against something. But he got the final ball.

It wasn't until he heard a woman's voice that Ranma felt a sense of dread. It was when he brought himself back on his hands and knees that he knew he was in trouble.

* * *

Lisa couldn't believe the audacity of this guy, to try to stand from underneath her skirt. Now she might have let the guy off while he was on the ground. In the brief moment that she had spoke, her rational mind told her that the guy couldn't possibly be trying to look up her skirt. No guy could be that stupid.

He definitely was that stupid, and that angered her. It angered her so much that she balled her hand into a fist, brought it up, and while almost screaming, "Why, you pervert," brought it down onto the top of his head, knocking him to the floor.

"Come on, girls. Let's go."

The owner went over to them immediately, offering her apologies. She watched the whole thing develop and realized it was all a misunderstanding. She was just too slow to react.

* * *

Ranma felt something slam onto his head with such force that it reminded him of Akane's mallet. As with Akane's mallet, it knocked him head first into the floor. He stayed down momentarily or at least until he figured he was out of danger to stand up.

Once he felt safe, he crawled from underneath the table, rubbing the top of his head. "Stupid tomboy," he said impulsively.

* * *

Lisa accepted the apologies of the boutique owner. Realizing the position she had on the ship, it was an improper way to act. She was the First Officer and needed to stay in control.

She heard the guy call her a stupid tomboy. She immediately thought he was talking to her. Much like when Roy's nephew called her a tomboy, Lisa was ready to go off if it wasn't for Kim and Sammie's intervention, who quickly ushered her out.

* * *

"I'm sorry about that, young man," the boutique said in an apologetic tone. "It was clearly a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, I know," groaned Ranma, very much in pain but quite understanding. "If there was a picture in the dictionary for misunderstanding, it'd be me."

It was then that Minmei exited the changing room. She was wearing a long sleeved pink dress with white collar and bow. "So what do you think, Ranma?"

Ranma looked at her and said it looked rather cute on her. Minmei saw him rubbing his head and a red mark on his forehead. She asked if he was okay, to which Ranma replied it was a misunderstanding.

* * *

Four hours later, Ranma and Rick were walking along the fence of the base. Ranma was still feeling some pain. It was not physical pain but mental. He knew he should have never accepted it as part of the agreement with his mother. He never knew she could be so maniacal. There was still much he didn't know about Nodoka Saotome.

"Awe, come on, Ranma. It can't be that bad," said Rick. "Not as bad as our training."

"Yeah, but they weren't taskmasters like mom," replied Ranma. "I hate school!"

"Well, your mom just wants an educated son," said a voice from behind.

Both boys spun around and found Roy with an innocent smile. To which Ranma replied with an evil glare.

"Whoa, you can't be still upset about that patrol?" Roy questioned his nephew. "Any new pilot would be grateful their mission was a peaceful, routine patrol."

"But it was boring."

"Nobody ever said it was going to be glamorous all the time," Rick chimed.

Ranma gave him the same glare. "I thought we were friends."

Rick started hedging away, giving a hesitant laugh. He remembered Minmei's stories. "We are. We are!"

Roy was amused how the two interacted. It reminded him of a good friend from the academy long ago dead. _The memories_, he briefly thought.

Then he noticed a mark on Ranma forehead. "Say, kid, what's with the mark?"

"A misunderstanding," Rick answered for him. "At least that's what Minmei said."

Roy instantly figured it had to do with a girl.

"Well," Ranma started off his explanation, "Minmei had me take her shopping. We went into this boutique. I was juggling while she was trying on a dress. Yadda, yadda, yadda, I was knocked into the floor."

Roy looked as confused as Rick. _Yadda, yadda, yadda! Who uses that these days?_ Roy thought.

"Anyway," Roy said as he pushed them into walking, "now that you two are pilot, there are certain things that go along with that. Such as moving into the barracks and having your own room. Having your own room doesn't give you the license to do what you please, if you know what I mean."

They had a clue what Roy was talking about. Ranma wasn't too worried. He had a couple of fiancées on Earth. Rick only knew one girl on the entire ship, and she considered him only a friend. So they looked at him as if he said something stupid.

"Oh, and one more thing," Roy added. "TEN-HUT!"

Rick and Ranma snapped around, Rick into the position of attention, while Ranma stayed pretty much lax. In front of them were four young ladies, two brunettes, one with short hair, the other longer hair, a tall one with black hair and a short blonde. Rick thought they all looked cute, especially the one with black hair wearing the o-so-short denim shorts and knee length socks. For some reason, one of them looked familiar.

Eventually Rick relaxed himself out of the position of attention, see that neither Roy nor Ranma were in it.

"Why good afternoon, Commander Hayes," said Roy.

"And same to you," replied the brunette with long hair. "These wouldn't by chance be those hotshot pilots all the squadron commanders are talking about?"

Roy gave her a playful laugh. "Don't say it like that. I don't want it to go to their heads. And yes these are. Lieutenant Commander Lisa Hayes, these are Ensigns Rick Hunter and Ranma Saotome."

"Please to meet you," Lisa said to Rick.

"A-Ah, s-same here," Rick replied. He was intimidated by meeting the ship's First Officer.

"Say, aren't you Roy's neph-" Lisa started to say to Ranma when recognition kicked in. She drew her right hand waaaay back and brought it back with a loud resounding slap across the left side of his face. Ranma's head was thrown to the right before it snapped back in place. It had never done this type of action. Not even with all the times his fiancées hit him.

Lisa started walking away, wanting to get away from Ranma. She never knew she could get so angry at one person. "Call me a tomboy again, you pervert," she threw back. Sammie and Kim quickly caught up with her, realizing who Ranma was. Vanessa naturally followed.

Once they were just gone (but still within hearing range), Ranma yelled, "Stupid tomboy!"

For about a minute none of the guys spoke as they continued walking. Finally Roy said, "I'm guessing that's what you yadda, yadda, yaddaed."

* * *

The Zentraedi fleet closely monitored the SDF-1 as it slowly progressed from the edges of its adopted owners' star system. Currently it headed towards the sixth planet, a planet ringed by planetary debris. "…So it is my belief they are going to try to use this planet's gravity to propel the ship back to their home planet," stated Exedore. Breetai and Exedore stood in the command observation bubble looking at several floating displays, but two were of particular interest. They displayed the planetary system and the plot of the SDF-1's course.

"And you are sure about this?" questioned Breetai.

"Most positively, m'lord. By doing this, they'll be able to gather more momentum, meaning they can reach their home planet sooner than at their current velocity."

It was clear to Breetai they needed to stop this. "Then we should keep a close monitor on the ship and prevent any such action."

"At once, m'lord."

* * *

Forces were moving aboard the SDF-1. Plans were being finalized for their first offensive move since the boobytrapped firing of the main gun the day of the ill-fated launch. The main gun would be the main element of the attack.

What brought about the necessity to attack was their approach to Saturn. As it became clear they would pass Saturn, Astrometrics informed Captain Gloval that they could use Saturn's gravity as a slingshot. It would shave off a considerable amount of time from the journey and sent them on a perfect course into the inner system.

Gloval had taken this into consideration. That meant they would most likely have to attack the aliens, who would more or less block such movement. Thus plans for attack started.

But they were contingent on a new system being developed by Dr. Lang.

* * *

Lisa stepped onto the bridge in a fowl mood. She irradiated anger as she walked to her station. So much so that it forced Claudia to back away from hers. Claudia looked at Sammie and Kim and, from their expressions, knew that they knew what was going on. She edged over to their stations and asked what was wrong.

"Ah, well, there was this incident with Commander Fokker's nephew," Kim whispered. But it wasn't low enough for Lisa not to hear. She spun around, and, in a tone louder than normal speak but not quite a yell or scream, she said, "Little incident! That little pervert looked up my skirt!"

The three backed away further, if it was possible. Claudia would have never thought anybody could have garnered such a reaction out of Lisa. Then again if he was anything like the Roy she fell in love with, just maybe it was possible.

The hatch opened, and Claudia gasped as she fell into Captain Gloval. Instantly she hopped onto her feet. "Sorry about that, sir," she said as she went back to her station.

The SDF-1 proceeded into the outer rings of Saturn in attack mode. In an attempt to hide, Lisa activated the electronic counter measures. "Activating the ECM, sir. Now the enemy shouldn't be able to see us."

Gloval had made his way to the forward viewport. He surveyed the area as rocks float by. "Very well," he replied to Lisa.

"Sir, what is it we're going to do now?" asked Claudia.

Gloval walked away from the viewport, stopping at the center of the room. Turning back to Lisa and Claudia, he said, "We're going to use a blitzkrieg attack." He placed his pipe in his mouth for added effect.

The girls gasped at hearing this. Though the ship was on alert, this was the first time they knew of the course of action that was about to take place.

"A blitzkrieg?" Claudia questioned.

"Yes, " Gloval replied. "There's a chance the enemy will try to prevent us from using Saturn as a slingshot. I would like to avoid any potential traps."

"But, Captain," said Lisa.

"There is no other way," Gloval said, turning around to take leave of the bridge. His sole purpose there was to inform the girls of the plan. As he stepped through the hatchway, he hit his head on the top of the bulkhead once again, cursing like usual.

* * *

Not long after he left the bridge, Gloval received the news that Dr. Lang was able to devise a defensive barrier to against an alien barrage much like the one that prompted Gloval to transform the SDF-1 the first time. The barrier came from the energy left behind when the fold generators mysterious disappeared. Though it wasn't sure if the energy was a by-product, the preeminent scientist of Robotechnology had been positive the energy could be use.

Unfortunately the energy wouldn't cover the entire ship. So Dr. Lang devised a pinpoint barrier system. Three disks were created from the energy. Using a system with rolling balls, three techs would make them roam the ship so that anyone of them would be in place to stop a blast.

Now that the battle plans were formalized, the pilots were informed the attack would take place the next day. At the end of the briefing, they were told if there was anybody they wanted to see, they should that night. Hearing that brought reality to the new guys as they realized it was no longer a simulation but the real thing.

* * *

Rick stood in the park later that evening. He was supposed to meet up with Ranma in twenty minutes, but he wanted to see Minmei first. He phoned her not long after the announcement. She was too busy at that time, but she could meet him in the park at 8:30.

He looked at his watch once again, and it read 8:45. _Maybe she with Ranma_, Rick thought, trying to explain her latest. At that moment Minmei came running out of the darkest, wearing the pink dress she bought the day before. She came to a stop before him and placed her hands on her knees, clearly out of breath. Once she caught her breath, she apologized for being late. However Rick didn't mind. All he knew was she looked stunning in that dress.

Minmei noticed that Rick was unresponsive to her. So she waved her hand in front of his face until his eyes started blinking.

"Huh! Did I miss something?"

"No. You just seemed to space out."

After a few seconds of silence, Minmei asked, "What's up?"

Though it was a simple question, it was all that was needed to start the conversation.

"W-well, I'm pretty sure you've heard this from Ranma already, but I'm going on my first mission tomorrow morning. And they said if there was anyone we wanted to see, we should see them tonight. And w-well you're the only person I want to see."

Minmei was touched that she was the only person that Rick wanted to see. Granted she wasn't thinking or she would have remembered the only people he knew were in the same situation as him.

Rick continued. "A-and also I'm k-kinda scared. During training, they made it seem like a game, but today it was sorta brought back into reality…"

Minmei put her index finger over his lips to stop him talking. "You shouldn't be scary. You're the best pilot I know. You'll do just fine. Besides you have me as your guardian angel."

What she didn't add was her guardian angel, Ranma Saotome, would be around to make sure nothing would happened. That was just the type of confidence she had in Ranma.

"And I'll even give you a kiss for good luck."

Rick expected a simple peck on the cheek. Instead she surprised him by kissing him on the lips. Not a simple peck but arms around the neck, bringing him down to her height, and add a little passion.

When she released him half a minute later, Rick stood there dumbfounded. That wasn't the type of kiss you give to a friend. Not realizing the effect her kiss had on Rick, Minmei saw that Rick once again had that look on his face. Compared to what Rick thought, she thought it was just like their fake wedding kiss. She was starting to think maybe Rick was right. Could his glazed over look be from his fear?

The sound of the fountain turning on caught both of their attentions.

_Almost like those fountains in America_, she thought.

"Rick, I have to go home," Minmei said. "Mom kinda doesn't want out too late."

Rick chuckled in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Minmei asked.

"Oh, you just called Nodoka 'mom.'"

Minmei had to chuckle too "It just seems natural, I guess, since I think of Ranma as the brother I always wanted."

Just then a mobile camera (a marvel of Robotechnology) came by, asking if they wanted their picture taken. The thought of having a picture sounded very appealing. Gesturing to the mobile camera, Rick fed it some money. Then Minmei took his arm. The camera took their picture with the fountain in the background. Two minutes later, the camera disbursed two copies of the pictures. They looked like a lovely couple.

"Well, I need to go," Minmei said, heading back in the direction in which she came.

"Y-yeah," Rick waved to her. He stood there until she was out of view. When she was gone, he started off back to the barracks. He looked at the picture in one hand while the other was on the lips Minmei kissed. He was unsure what this meant for their relationship.

But do they have a relationship?

"Say, what's up?"

Rick was startled by the question. The voice was close to him, so he looked in its direction and found Ranma walking next to him.

"Oh, I didn't hear you coming."

"Yeah, I know," replied Ranma. Then he saw something in Rick's hand. "Say, what's that?"

Rick showed him the picture of Minmei and him. Ranma thought it was a nice picture, especially with the fountain in the background.

Rick continued walking. Rick told him every thing that just happened. He figured Ranma had the right to know, since Ranma considered himself Minmei's brother. In actuality, it probably was a bad move since it took Ranma all he had not to beat the crap out of him.

Soon they were back on the base. As they walked through the door of their barracks, Rick asked, "Say, Ranma, you scared about tomorrow?"

"A little, but I imagine it'd be just like back home," answered Ranma. "I would have a big fight almost every month."

"Then it probably just me," came back Rick.

"Naw. Bet every guy here is havin' that same feelin'."

They made it back to their room, which just happen to be across the hall, diagonally due to the staggering of the rooms. "Well, see ya in the mornin'," Ranma said as he entered his room.

"Yeah. Well, see ya tomorrow."

* * *

Two hours later, Rick laid in the bed quite restless. He'd done everything he could think of to fall asleep, but nothing seemed to work. He rolled over and looked at the frame on his desk. He knew he couldn't continue looking at the picture of him and Minmei, but that seeming was the only type of peace he was able to get.

Then came a knock on the door. "It's open," Rick said.

The door slid open, revealing Roy. "You know, you should get some sleep," he said.

"Yeah, I know," replied Rick. "I just can't."

Roy sighed clearly knowing the reason. Rick was suffering from anxiety over tomorrow. It was a common occurrence among those before their first mission. What Rick needed to do was think about something other than combat.

"Well, try counting fanjets or something," Roy said. "Just get try to get some sleep."

With that Roy allowed the door to close and moved on. He was going room to room of all his new pilots to see how they were coping. They all reacted the same.

His next stop was just across the hall, Ranma's room. He wondered how the two pulled that off.

He knocked on the door but got no response.

He knocked a second time a few seconds later. There was still no response, so he used his master keycard, opened the door and found Ranma, fast asleep.

_That boy is taking this better than I thought._

After that, Roy made his way to his room.

Hours later, Roy walked by their rooms when his two new ensigns walked out of their doors. It was quite literally the first time he'd actually seen Ranma in a uniform besides his flight suit.

All pilot uniforms (except Roy's) were similar in color, blue pants with white tunic. The tunics were trimmed in different colors with common colors being red, green, light blue, and yellow. Ranma had the fortune to have his trimmed in forest green, just like his flight suit, just like his Veritech.

"Mornin', boys. Sleep well."

"Yeah," was Ranma's reply.

"Eventually," was Rick's.

That was all that was said as they left the barracks. When they exited, Roy had them join him and Captain Kramer in the jeep. Taking the offer, the four soon added into the convoy that crossed the city to the _Prometheus_.

Once there, the pilots suited up, went through pre-flight briefings, and prepared to launch.

* * *

Breetai walked into the command bubble after getting some rest. The Zentraedi had been watching the battle fortress's approach to the sixth planet for three days now. Breetai wondered if the situation Exedore brought up two days ago would actually happen.

"M'lord, the battle fortress has entered the rings of the planet and enacted their electronic countermeasures," Exedore stated.

"Why wasn't I informed of this sooner," Breetai bellowed. Obviously this wasn't a recent development. "Get me Commander Zeril," he ordered.

"I've already taken the liberty to do so," replied Exedore.

Immediately a display formed and showed a burly soldier with black hair. "How may I serve you, Lord Breetai?" inquired the soldier.

"Commander Zeril, the Micronians are trying to set a trap in the rings of this planet. I want you force them out. Do so before they foolishly damage the fortress with those rocks."

"It shall be done."

* * *

Rick sat on the deck, waiting to be launched into the void of space. He watched Roy and Ranma shoot off the deck. He nudged the stick forward to give the Veritech some forward momentum as his VF-1J (trimmed in red) headed to the catapult just occupied by Ranma. His attention wasn't fully with the task at hand. He watched two Veritechs launching from side catapults. He quickly refocused when he felt the slight tug of the catapult connecting.

The ballet that was carrier launches continued. When everything was ready, the catapult officer gave Rick a salute, which he returned. Keeping his hands off the controls, he was rocketed off the deck. As soon as he was off the deck, the hands were on the controls. He quickly formed up with his wingmate, and they got into formation with the rest of Skull Squadron.

Once all Veritechs were launched, the main gun was brought into firing position, and the battle fortress slid back into the rings.

The plan was to engage the enemy to clear the path for the slingshot maneuver by using the main gun to destroy any ships and put some distance between them and the alien fleet.

As the squadron flew through the ice fields of Saturn's rings, Rick saw Veritechs fly by him in what he thought was quite reckless. Seeing this, Rick decided it was okay for him to do a loop. It couldn't be anymore reckless as those that were screaming by at top speed.

Unfortunately someone else didn't have the same idea as Rick. Lisa's face came over the tac-net immediately, and boy did she look pissed. "Ensign Hunter, just what the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Well, everybody else is flying dangerously out. I thought…"

"That's just it. You thought. You are not paid to think. Now you're out of formation."

Rick cringed as she chastised him. It didn't stop until he said he understood what she was saying. Rick got himself back up to his wingmate. Together with the rest of the Veritechs, Rick flew further towards the point designated the Cassini Quadrant.

Then they entered a dark zone within the rings. Roy came over the tac-net and informed all the Veritechs to keep within visual range of their wingmate and the debris around them, as it could be easy to stray off course and hit one of the rocks.

Ranma wasn't having any problems. He was flying off the wing of his uncle, just like the patrol. Once he entered the dark zone, right after Roy went off the tac-net, he lost contact with him. He was pretty sure Roy was still at ten o'clock relative, but in his attempt to verify his position, his course changed ever so slightly. Then the proximity alert went off. Ranma looked up and made out the outline of a rock right in his path. His immediate reaction was to check his speed, and then he pulled the stick back and went over the rock.

Lisa was immediately on the tac-net to berate him. Ranma countered by stating she should be out there to see how dangerous it was. Not listening to a lowly ensign, Lisa retorted about the proper way to speak to a commanding officer.

Ranma would have followed that up, but Roy was quick to come over the tac-net to quell the two down. After that it became quiet in Ranma's cockpit. That is except for calling Lisa a stupid tomboy.

* * *

On the bridge, everyone heard Ranma's comment. "You were kind of hard on him, you know," commented Claudia. "And he needs to remember to make sure the tac-net is off before making idiotic comments like that."

Claudia looked over to Lisa and could tell she was fuming. That confirmed what Sammie and Kim said the other day.

* * *

It wasn't much longer before the Veritechs finally reached the Cassini Quadrant. Roy ordered them out of the debris field. They attacked the ship positioned there. It was Commander Zeril's ship, but he was only there because he'd been ordered to stop the SDF-1.

Breetai watched the start of the attack and laughed at the ferocity of the Micronians strafing the cruiser. If only they knew there were more ships being held in reserve, but the goal was to relieve the Micronians of the battle fortress. He gave the order to engage. Space was filled with death as Battlepods and fighters poured out of the cruiser.

Engaging with the Battlepods, Ranma felt back in his environment. It was pure chaos, and he thrived in it. He released a score of missiles, taking out five pods at long distance. He zoomed into the remaining crowd of Battlepods and took out three more in one pass.

When a Battlepod popped up in front, his mind was already in the process of transforming into Guardian mode as Ranma unconsciously pulled the G lever. The legs dropped down, cutting his forward velocity, and the arms folded out, bringing the Gatling cannon into play. Just like that, Ranma was in Guardian mode, and the Battlepod was no more.

Roy was really impressed with his nephew's early performance. But in his carelessness, he allowed a Battlepod to get the drop on him. Fortunately Rick was in the area and took the pod out.

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem, Commander," replied Rick.

In his own way, Rick wasn't doing that bad. He performance wasn't that of Ranma, but he was still alive. He was grateful of this especially when another Veritech exploded right next to him.

* * *

Radar watched the Zentraedi cruiser as it advanced towards the SDF-1. It was already in range, but wasn't in the right position. As the cruiser skimmed the top of the rings, kicking up the ice, Gloval ordered the SDF-1 out of the rings. It was earlier than he wanted, but Lisa had given him reports of how the fighter wing was doing. So far all of the squadrons except Skull had suffered serious casualties. Though Gloval didn't want to expose his position this early, he was going to have to fire the main gun or risk not having any Veritechs to protect the ship on its journey home.

When he ordered the main gun to fire, nothing happened. Claudia continually pushed the firing button but nothing would happen. It wasn't until Dr. Lang rung the bridge that there was a reason for what was now a mishap.

"Sir, it appears that the main gun won't be able to fire as long as the barrier system is active," said the scientist in his German accent.

"Bozhe moy!" was Gloval's response.

Then Sammie informed them that they had been targeted for laser bombardment. Zeril, seeing that the battle fortress had its main gun aimed at him but hadn't fired, took the opportunity to fire on it.

"Have the pin point barrier ready to repel the attack," Gloval ordered.

In a location not far from the bridge, the three female techs assigned to the barrier system were relayed the message and were ready. Three spot of energy appeared on the hull of the SDF-1 and started circling around. As Zentraedi fired, they were able to quickly cycle their disk and stop most everything the Zentraedi were firing may it be missile or laser fire.

Zeril grew frustrated. Nothing he fired seemed to touch the battle fortress, and he couldn't explain the defensive barrier the Micronians seemed to deploy. He continued firing nonetheless.

* * *

Ranma had finished off another Battlepod. He was finding this to be just a bit too easy, but he noticed something wasn't right.

According to the plan, the main gun was supposed to fire upon the enemy vessel. The vessel was getting closer and closer, and still the main gun hadn't fired.

So he got Rick over the tac-net. "Say, Rick, didn't they say the main gun was going to fire to clear a path away from here?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," replied Rick.

Since the main gun hadn't fired, Ranma decided to take matters into his hands and do as much damage to the vessel as possible. "Look, Rick, I'm goin' to strafe the ship. I'm about 8:30 high if ya want to join."

"I'm right there," Rick replied. Rick immediately looked up and found the forest green-trimmed Veritech right where Ranma said his was. Pulling the stick back, Rick was on his wing within seconds, destroying a Battlepod along the way.

Formed up, the two put in the speed and flew towards the Zentraedi cruiser. They did one pass in Fighter mode, unleashing a score of missiles. They all found targets; some even took out gun emplacements.

On their second pass, they came onto some trouble. Ten Battlepods appeared on the hold. Both Veritechs went into Battloid mode.

Ranma dispatched half of them quite easily. Ranma turned around to see if Rick needed help, but Rick was nowhere to be seen. There was debris but none of it looked like it was from a Veritech. The next thing he did was try to get Rick over the tac-net, but all he received was static.

That was all the time Ranma put into a search. More Battlepods were him.

* * *

What Ranma didn't know, Rick was inside the Zentraedi cruiser, having fallen down a hole. He tried to raise Ranma up on the tac-net. Like Ranma he received nothing but static. Instantly he figured communications were being jammed.

Unfortunately Rick couldn't find the hole he fell through. He thought he could look up find a hatch, but there was no hatch. He started walking around, trying to find a way out.

And that's when it happened. A Zentraedi soldier, making his way to his battle station, walked right into Rick's path. Rick was quick to bring his Gatling cannon to bear, but he froze, unable to fire. One look at the soldier's frightened face brought out the fear Rick had in himself.

* * *

Lisa was pushed into her console, as another blast was able to get pass the barrier system. She knew things weren't how the senior staff had hoped. With the main gun unable to fire, All they had to defend themselves was the barrier system and the in close lasers and missile racks.

As she set herself up, an idea came to her. "Sir, do you think we could have the pinpoint barrier at one point?"

"Sure," replied Gloval. "Do you have an idea?"

"Yes, and I think it'll work," answered Lisa.

"Okay. It's all yours." Gloval sounded confident in his first officer. Right now he could use any idea to get them passed Saturn.

Lisa ordered every available Destroids to the bow of _Daedalus_, then had the barriers positioned there.

The plan consisted of ramming the re-enforced bow of _Daedalus_ into the bow of the approaching vessel. Then the bow would open, and the Destroids would fire everything they had.

Once the barrier system was moved to the bow of _Daedalus_, every blast was felt, but it would last only a little bit longer. The cruiser needed to come closer. When it was in range, Lisa told Claudia to started _Daedalus_ in motion.

* * *

When Zeril saw the right appendage move back, he was confused as to what going on. Once the appendage started its forward motion, his aide informed him that it appeared that they going to be rammed. Zeril had that same thought, so he ordered all lasers to concentrate on the appendage.

It was too late. _Daedalus_ plowed through the bow of the Zentraedi cruiser and extended further into the ship. When it was in as far as it would go, the bow opened, and Destroids opened fire and released missiles into the ship.

Chaos ensued as the missiles exploded. The outside of the hull bubbled as missile explosions caused secondary explosion. It was a secondary explosion that killed Commander Zeril and his staff.

Rick was still on board when everything started to go boom. The Gatling cannon was still pointed at the Zentraedi soldier. The next thing Rick knew, the alien was caught in the explosion and was no more, leaving Rick unaffected.

Immediately Rick realized he was going to create an opening. Self-preservation was top on his list right then. Fortunately luck was on his side as he ran into an airlock. Once through the airlock, Rick was back in Fighter mode and poured on thrusters to get some distance from the ship, and not a minute too soon. Just as he was leaving, _Daedalus_ was extracted from the cruiser. Minutes later, the explosions reached the engines. That was the end of the cruiser as it exploded soon afterwards.

Ranma suddenly appeared on Rick's tac-net. "Geez, Rick. Where have you been?"

"Scared to death in front of an enemy soldier," Rick stated.

Though the cruiser was destroyed, there were still Battlepods to fight, but they quickly retreated to parts unknown. The remaining Veritechs returned the SDF-1.

On the bridge, the girls congratulated Lisa for that fine maneuver. Captain Gloval breathed a sigh of relief, as they completed their slingshot maneuver and made way for home.

In the command bubble of the flagship of the Zentraedi fleet, Breetai and Exedore were stunned by what they just witnessed. That maneuver was something they had never calculated the Micronians to do.

After a minute, Breetai spoke. "I think it's time to call up some reinforcements."

* * *

Author notes:

I decided to use the rank structure of the US Navy instead of what's used in the series because I'm more familiar with it. Besides a fighter pilot should have an officer's rank, not enlisted personnel, which is also why I extended their training from two to three months.


	6. Unexpected revised

Characters of Ranma ½ belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 6: Unexpected

* * *

Ranma looked down at the paper, trying to see if he could will it away. It was an English grammar test. It'd been on the table for five minutes with Ranma having answered only one section successfully. He didn't understand why he needed to study grammar. He was probably the only pilot that had to study it.

"Are you done yet, sweetie?" Nodoka asked.

"No," Ranma replied, rather grumpily. "Why do I even need somethin' like this?"

"Your grammar is atrocious," she remarked.

"I don't understand," Ranma said, switching to Japanese.

"I'm not talking about your Japanese. I'm talking about your English."

"What's wrong with my English?"

"Nothing. It's just a little rough," Nodoka replied. _Obviously learnt on the road._

"But my English is flawless," stated Ranma.

"Most times it is," countered Nodoka. "Think of this as just another class."

Ranma groaned at hearing this was just another class. He fought to protect the SDF-1, but whenever he wasn't on duty, he had finished his high school education. It was part of his agreement with his mother to allow him to join the RDF. It meant he needed an instructor. The unfortunate (or fortunate) thing was his mother was his instructor. Now he understood why she would come to the Tendo dojo on the weekends. She had been a college professor. Ranma had come to learn that Nodoka was a genius. This meant she was the perfect instructor, as she could teach him anything she wanted.

In fact, the accident with the tea wasn't really an accident. She had already figured out about the curse. She had wanted Ranma to tell her, but it became obvious that wasn't going to happen.

Why someone with her looks, talents, and mind would ever marry a slouch like Genma was a mystery to Ranma. Then again Ranma didn't know of the mistakes she's made when she was younger. ("One drink with these cute guys won't hurt.")

Though Ranma groaned about studying English, it was the only thing that he had studied (or slept threw) at Furinkan. Besides English, there was calculus, physics, chemistry, biology, and world history. Now he didn't mind history, and he most likely would mind the English, but the calculus and sciences were all college level.

"But why do I need to know what a ger-rund is or what a particle is?"

"That's gerund and participle, Ranma," corrected Nodoka. She looked at the clock and saw it was almost time for Ranma to return to duty.

"Well, I guess that's all for today," she said, picking up her evaluation test. He completed the vocabulary section but nothing further.

"Okay," Ranma said, gathering his books and placing them in his messenger bag. "I'll see you later."

He left the upstairs room, briefly stopping in the kitchen to grab a bowl of ramen before leaving for the base. Unfortunately as he left the White Dragon, he ran into somebody. Both of them tumbled to the ground.

"Do you think you could get off me?" a female voice asked.

Ranma picked himself off the female. In the process, one hand found something soft yet firm. He knew immediately it was something he shouldn't have touched. He sprung up and was presented with the sight of an irate Lisa Hayes whose hand placed a loud slap across his face. "First you insult, then you look up my skirt, now you grope me. What type of pervert are you?"

"Pervert! All those were misunderstandings," explained Ranma. _Okay, maybe not that first time._ Misunderstandings seemed to follow Ranma. Unfortunately his foot-in-mouth disease would always come at some of the most inopportune times. "Then again, you're too much of a tomboy to realize one to save your life."

That comment started their latest argument. In the background, unnoticed by all, a bell rung, and super-deformed version of Ranma's VF-1J Battloid walked around carrying a sign, saying "Round 9."

Nodoka watched the festivities and shook her head. It looked like she was going to teach him how to act around women. Something he should have learnt during his time at the Tendo Dojo. She shook her head again at the unlikelihood of that happening.

In the back of her mind, she felt a sense of foreboding.

* * *

Ranma walked back to the base in a foul mood. Then again, he always ended up in a foul mood whenever he came across Lieutenant Commander Hayes. It was like she loved to make his life a living hell. And what's with girls calling him a pervert for their own misunderstandings? And why do they always have to hit him?

"Just like Akane," he mumbled.

"Like who?" a male voice asked, coming from his right.

Ranma looked over and saw Rick. As usual, Rick was in uniform (unlike Ranma, who liked wearing his usual garb whenever he wasn't on duty) also heading towards base. If it wasn't for a bag he was carrying, he would have gone straight to Prometheus for his scheduled patrol.

"Oh, my fiancée."

Rick was well aware of the fiancées on Earth, though he still believed it to be a story. "And who would be acting like her?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," replied Ranma.

Just by the tone of Ranma's voice, Rick didn't press for the answer. Instead of finding out answers, Rick told him what just happened to him.

"Ya know Kim Young, right?" Rick started.

"Yeah. Works on the bridge. Short black hair. Great legs. Rather cute."

"For somebody with two fiancées, you sure check out the girls," Rick remarked. Ranma hadn't realized he described Kim. "Anyway, yeah, her. Well she just asked me out."

"Ah, like on a date?" Ranma asked, showing his naïvety. He received a nod from Rick. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way?" That how he thought it was supposed to be. At least that was what he'd been told.

"Well, it goes both ways these days, Ranma," Rick replied. "Boy, you're out of the loop."

"Well, what did you say? And what about Minmei?"

"What about Minmei. She says we're just friends, remember," Rick said with sarcasm. "But I didn't know what to say. It's not every day that I get a beautiful girl asking me out."

Walking into the barracks, Ranma stated, "Well good for you."

As Ranma said that, he wondered if this was what it was like to have a real friend, not one that happened to be a fiancée or a rival.

Rick changed the subject as they walked up the stairs. "So what was it today?"

Ranma looked confused. Where was Rick going with that? Needless to say, he missed the subject change.

"The studying," Rick clarified.

"Oh! English."

"But you speak excellent English. Just a hint of an accent."

"I know, but I think there somethin' more to it."

There was nothing for Rick to reply.

* * *

A small Zentraedi task force followed the SDF-1 since Saturn. Its job was to continually harass it while pushing it further away from Earth.

The rest of the fleet jumped ahead to the four planet of the system. Upon reaching the planet, a Cyclops recon vessel was sent out to check for any life signs. None were found, but they found an abandon Micronian outpost. From it, they learned the name of the planet, Mars.

"That outpost would make for a perfect trap, m'lord," said Exedore, looking over the gathered data.

"That's precisely what I want to do," stated Breetai. "I've called up the Seventh Mechanized Division of Botoru Battalion for this operation."

Exedore gasped. The Seventh had a reputation for brutal savagery. "Surely you're not bringing up Khyron's division," Exedore said with much alarm.

Breetai smiled at him as if he was doing nothing wrong. "Indeed I have. Why not?"

Exedore commented on the reputation of the division, especially its commander with his infamous nickname, "the Backstabber." Breetai knew of the division's successes, so he didn't need to explain his actions.

The proximity alerts suddenly went off. Word came that something was folding into the fleet formation. Soon afterwards ships of the Seventh Mechanized Division of Botoru Battalion appeared, colliding into some ships. Damage reports were quickly given once the ships had settled into the formation. Exedore groaned as a visual of the colliding ships were shown on the projecbeam display. That was soon replaced by the commander of those ships, Khyron. Exedore grumbled that was exactly what he expected from him.

There was a hint of second thoughts in Breetai's decision. First he wanted to be certain that this wasn't just a demonstration of Khyron's recklessness.

"Commander of the Seventh Mechanized Space Division reporting as ordered," Khyron said, presenting a salute. Then he brought that salute down, and with a mocking wave, said, "Good to see you, Lord Breetai." He added a playful laugh.

"The sheer auda-" Exedore started to say when the proceedings were interrupted by a hand off screen.

The hand was replaced by a squared-jaw, battle-scarred soldier. "Just as I thought, Khyron. We bumped into only four ships total."

Khyron quickly got the soldier off screen. He wanted Breetai to know they folded within the fleet on purpose.

But Breetai wasn't falling for it. "Khyron, you don't want to trifle with me if you value your command."

"Of course, Lord Breetai."

It didn't sound remorseful, but Breetai didn't care about it at the moment. He proceeded to explain his plan to trap the battle fortress on the surface of Mars. Khyron said nothing against the plan, so things were set in motion.

* * *

Veritech squadrons once again repelled the enemy's attack. Though they weren't an everyday occurrence, to the pilots they were becoming draining. Draining not only in the fact the pilots were pulling so many G's a day but also to the fact they kept losing friends.

In each sortie, Rick became more confident in his abilities. He might have been a hotshot during training, but the first battle had really shaken him, having gotten close up with an alien soldier. For days afterwards, he had dreams of seeing that fear-stricken face at the end of his Gatling's barrel.

Ranma, on the other hand, was proving to be every bit the pilot his uncle thought he would be. He carried the family tradition proudly. He flew rings around the Battlepods, matching his uncle kill for kill. Ranma thrived off the chaos.

Roy was noticing that the kid had great leadership instincts. Two incidences stood out, most memorable the strafing runs with Rick out in the rings of Saturn. It was no surprise Roy found the two walking from the hanger bay after he taxied from the flight deck. "Hey, fellas, wait up," he said, following them to the elevator.

"So what are you two up to?" Roy asked as the elevator descended.

"Well, I have to study calculus," replied Ranma. "Mom's givin' me a test tomorrow."

Roy groaned for he knew what that was like. After all he was Roy Hasegawa, kid brother of genius girl Nodoka Hasegawa, and her teaching guinea pig. Many times he wondered if that was why Genma wanted Ranma away from their house, fearing his heir to be more of a bookworm than a martial artist.

"I gotta meet someone in town," said Rick.

"Anyone we know?" asked Ranma with a big grin on his face. That garnered him an elbow to the rib.

Roy just watched the two friends interact. It was much like him and a younger Rick Hunter. "Well, Ranma, remember you're joining me and Claudia for dinner tonight."

Ranma looked at his uncle, clueless as to what he was talking about.

"Aw, don't tell me you've already forgotten? I mentioned it before yesterday's patrol." Yesterday's patrol happened while that English test was still on his mind. When Roy still didn't get an answer, he said, "Just come by at 8:15."

The elevator stopped, and the three went their separate ways.

* * *

Rick wondered the streets of Macross an hour later when he heard Kim give an announcement on the battle. _I guess I'll talk to her later on_, he thought. Then he thought about what she'd just said. None of it was true.

Disgusted, he turned his head and met the blue eyes of Minmei.

"Hello, stranger," she said. "Long time, no see." She gave him a hug since she hadn't seen him for close to a month. She was beginning to think Rick was avoiding her.

Rick was surprised to actually see her. It was still school hours. Minmei explained that they closed the school whenever there is an attack. That sounded quite logical.

She looked at his face. Rick appeared to be upset. So Minmei asked, "What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's that report. It happened nothing like they said. And we had more casualties than…"

Minmei put a finger on his lips to stop him talking. She looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I don't think you should be talking about this here."

"But…"

"I'm sure they mean well," Minmei interrupted. Then she latched onto his arm, and said, "Why don't we go to the restaurant, and you treat me to something to eat."

She felt resistance. She looked back and saw Rick trying to go the other way.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Ah, how about we go somewhere else to eat." Rick didn't know how to tell her he was avoiding the White Dragon and Nodoka in an attempt to avoid what Ranma was going through.

"Okay," she replied, and they went to a nearby Japanese steakhouse.

* * *

"Captain, we're receiving some data," Kim rang out. She had been talking to Sammie about Rick (who had yet to give her an answer) when the information started scrolling up here screen.

Gloval came over to see what it was. They hadn't been able to get anything through to Earth headquarters but just maybe something from them did.

"This must be some observation data," Kim said. "There's quite a bit of it, but I can't figure out where it's coming from."

Vanessa started tracking the data's signal. Once she found the source, she stated it was coming from sixteen degrees off their present course. Claudia quickly plotted that to be the planet Mars and speculated it must be coming Mars Base Sara.

Lisa turned to Claudia, quite stunned. "Impossible!" she stated. "Are you sure you calculated that right?"

"Sara Base should be deserted," Gloval added. "It couldn't possibly be from there. There was no one left after the last conflict there."

Claudia looked at Lisa and saw a spark of hope in her eyes. She knew some of Lisa's history and knew Lisa had a love interest stationed on Mars Base Sara when the war finally ended up there. "No, Lisa," she whispered in attempts to prevent Lisa from thinking of something so useless.

Lisa paid her no mind. "Sir, do you think there could possibly be some survivors left?"

Gloval had to think about this for a while. It was quite possible that someone might be alive after all these years. With no long range communications and Earth putting its sole effort on reconstructing the SDF-1, this might be the first time a message from Sara Base was received.

If there weren't any survivors, there should be plentiful supplies still down there, and they could surely use them. Gloval also took into consideration that they could get some repairs done that couldn't be completed in the void of space.

"All right, alter course for Mars."

* * *

Early two days later, the SDF-1 landed on the surface of Mars. They initially didn't set down close to the base, fearful of any unsprung traps left behind during the war.

Cat's Eye patrols were sent out immediately. When scans of Mars Base Sara didn't pick up any life forms, Destroids were sent out from _Daedalus _and Veritechs launched from _Prometheus_ to secure the supply routes as the trucks rolled from the battle fortress to the base.

What the Cat's Eye patrols failed to pick up, not far from their position and in deep trenches sat the Battlepods of the Seventh Mechanized Division of the Botoru Battalion. Fifteen kilometers from Sara Base, Khyron positioned his 200 Battlepods in anticipation. He sat among them in his Officer's Pod, which differed greatly in appearance from the normal Battlepod. Structurally different, it had a red-tinted canopy (much like a fighter plane) and side cannons that gave the appearance of being arms.

As part of Breatai's plan, they would use gravity mines to hold the battle fortress to the surface, then attack and kill the fortress's current owners. Unfortunately the mines weren't up to full strength. The main reason for this was the battle fortress arrived earlier than expected. Also the battle fortress wasn't in the effective range of the gravity mines.

Khyron sat patiently and waited. Well that was as patient as an impatient man could. "Danmit, Geraro! Aren't those gravity mines ready yet?"

A soldier with straight black hair appeared on a commo screen. "They're two-thirds of the way ready. The battle fortress is here earlier than expected."

Khyron just growled at the explanation.

* * *

Once Base Sara seemed secured, Gloval ordered the SDF-1 closer. By doing this, he put the SDF-1 within the effective range of the gravity mines. When the supplies started arriving, there was still the question as to who was sending the message. The mystery persisted, and Lisa wanted to solve it.

"Sir, I request permission to determine what is sending that transmission."

Gloval regarded her request. He felt reluctant to do so. Lisa was too valuable to lose if something unexpected happened. However one look into her pleading eyes, saying it was very important to her, was all he could take. Claudia unnecessarily added that she could handle Lisa's duties.

Besides they needed to know who was sending the message.

* * *

On Base Sara, it was Skull Squadron's turn for patrol. For Ranma, it was even more boring than a usual patrol. The only difference in this day's patrol was the fact he was on the ground in a Battloid. Also there wasn't much movement involved. Cameras in the head section provided for a full 360 view of the area. So he passed the time talking with his uncle and Rick.

"I have to say I like Claudia," said Ranma. "Kinda wish Akane was more like her."

"Well, she was happy to finally meet you," replied Roy.

Their conversation was interrupted by Rick. "Say, Commander, do you think I could have next weekend off?"

"You too," came Roy's reply. "I don't know, Rick. It seems everybody's going to Minmei's birthday party. She even invited me." He had a laugh at the thought of being invited to a girl's sweet sixteen party.

With his laughter, it wasn't long before they received another interruption. This time Claudia appeared on their tac-net. "Hey, cut all the chatter."

"Oh, it's only Claudia," commented Ranma.

"And what do you mean by that, ensign?" asked Claudia.

"Just that I'm glad you're not that harassing tomboy," Ranma answered. The reply garnered groans from Roy and Rick.

"Well that tomboy should be passing under you right about now."

Sure enough a jeep rolled pass him. Sitting inside was Lisa wearing a white, yellow, and green environmental suit.

"I hope she didn't hear you," said Rick, who was chronicling very time Ranma called Lisa a tomboy whenever she was in earshot, which always garnered a slap across the face.

* * *

Khyron had had it. He'd waited long enough. The Micronians had moved the ship into the effective range, yet they still couldn't attack. He would kill who ever didn't place the mines at a more appropriate time, now mere hours before they landed.

"Geraro, I want a progress report," he sneered.

"The energy accumulation is up to ninety percent, m'lord," said Geraro, appearing over the commo screen. "It shouldn't be much longer."

"How can you tell me it shouldn't be much longer when it's taken this long just to get twenty percent? Drive those bots harder, Geraro, or I'll bury you on this godforsaken world!"

Geraro gave Khyron a salute and got back to get the mines energy up. He knew not to take Khyron's threats to lightly. He knew of many in his position who had crossed his commander just slightly and didn't make it to their battle.

Khyron was at the point where he would've thrown his helmet into the console. Instead he reached into a secret compartment and pulled out a flower petal, placing it in his mouth. There were rumors among the Zentraedi that Khyron was ingest the Flower of Life, a plant that was the reason behind this military campaign:

Protoculture.

Protoculture fueled the Zentraedi war machine. Created by an alien scientist named Zor, it started an empire ruled by beings calling themselves the Robotech Masters and the Zentraedi were their conquerors. However Zor became disillusioned by the Robotech Masters, thus he hid the Protoculture matrix in his battle fortress. With his death, the battle fortress sent to the farthest reaches of the universe to keep it from the Robotech Master's hands.

The petal was Khyron's second in the half hour. It provided the calming effect he needed. Too bad one of his soldiers wasn't able to remain calm or he would not have impulsively taking this operation into his own hands. Hopping passed Khyron, he took off for the battle fortress. Unfortunately, Khyron shot him down. If he could wait, so could all the others.

* * *

The crashing Battlepod registered on the seismic instruments on the SDF-1, and that information was relayed to the bridge. It was the first type of information they gotten since the data from Sara Base stopped about an hour ago.

"Captain, we're receiving some strange seismic info," said Vanessa, "from the nearby mountain range."

"Possible landslide?"

"No, sir. There's too much sonic noise attached to be a landslide. My guess is it's something like an explosion."

Gloval turned to Claudia and ordered her to send a Cat's Eye out to investigate. She was way ahead of him and had already sent one out. So it wasn't too long before its scans appeared on a monitor on the bridge. It showed Khyron's formation of Battlepods.

Gloval cursed himself, deducing the enemy's plan to get them there. Immediately he ordered the scramble of the Veritech squadrons. Once those squadrons appeared on radar, Khyron order his forces to attack.

Death had returned to Mars.

It became imperative to get the ship off the surface. They were very much a sitting duck. The unfortunate thing, the SDF-1 would not move, no matter how much energy they poured into the gravity control system.

"Damnit!" cursed Gloval. "They must be using gravity mines."

Vanessa quickly found the gravity mines' location and brought the graphic onscreen. With its location some three kilometers down, Vanessa felt somewhat defeated knowing they had nothing that could go down that far.

* * *

Khyron was pleased, knowing that with a little motivation, Geraro was able to speed up the process and get the gravity mines to full power. When the attack began, they were only at ninety-six percent, and if it wasn't for that foolish soldier, they could have waited those few moments for the gravity mines to reach full power.

As the fighting progressed, it was clear that Zor's ship was unable to liftoff. Khyron loved every bit of it. He was close to achieving the mission objective, as he spearheaded the move to capture Zor's ship. So what if it meant he killed all of the Micronians? Khyron proved himself to be the best fighter out there. He went about destroying Veritechs, not caring if one of his men was in the line of fire.

He knew the holders of Zor's ship would rue the day they met Khyron. That was if there were any left.

* * *

Gloval looked at the graphic and came up with a plan. "Get me Commander Hayes."

Claudia wondered what the captain could be thinking that he would need Lisa.

"I guess you're wondering why I asked you to get Commander Hayes for me," Gloval said, almost as if he was reading Claudia's mind. He didn't get a reply, but he wasn't expecting one. The girls gave him their attention, and then he told them his plan.

When Mars Base Sara was built, a reflex furnace was installed beneath it. Reflex power was the first by-product of Robotechnology. So if they set the furnace to overload, it should destroy the gravity mines.

Vanessa quickly located the furnace and added it to the graphic already on the screen. Then she ran a simulation of what would happen once it overloaded.

* * *

Lisa had been making her way out when she finally answered her comlink. Given new orders, she made her way towards the reflex furnace. In order to do that, she had to venture out in the middle of the fighting. Inside, she brought up the base schematics and used them to lead her to the furnace. Fifteen levels down, she hopped onto an elevator to begin her long trip down.

Stepping off the elevator, she made her way to the control room. With each step she had to exert more effort in order to move. Gravity felt heavier down there than on the surface. This made the trip to the control room longer as she believed she was feeling the effects of the gravity mines.

Once she made it to the control room, she was met with a confusing array of switches, dials, and meters. She couldn't concern herself with them as she went to access the computer to the reflex furnace. A couple of keystrokes, and the computer gave the furnace the command to overload. Next she instructed the CPU to ignore any possible built-in overrides as the furnace went passed maximum output.

Once the overload was started, Lisa left the control room with the computer counting down fifteen minutes until the furnace went critical.

* * *

Gloval ordered a slow retreat, starting with the Destroids, as soon as the countdown started. As part of his plan, he wanted the Veritech squadrons to draw the enemy onto the base. This was so they could destroy them when the furnace finally went critical.

Khyron watched these developments and could nothing but laugh. The Micronians were right where he wanted them. That was his mistake. He either had no knowledge of what was going on underneath him or refused to acknowledge any data streaming to his onboard computer.

* * *

With Claudia telling her to hurry, Lisa made it to the ground with seven minutes left. She ran towards the exit for all it was worth. As she ran, barricades came crashing down behind her, protecting the sections from the impending destruction from the overloaded furnace.

Unfortunately the barricades soon caught up to her and trapped her in the furnace complex. Retrieval would be simple task. She would just need to get to an outer room and then call for a rescue. Very simple. That was until she realized she was amongst the crew quarters. She had found the room of the person she hoped was sending the data. Opening the door with the name tag of RIBER, she walked in and was flooded with memories. Memories of a love lost so long ago.

The room belonged to a Karl Riber. When Lisa was twelve, she thought he was the most handsome man in the world. At the time Karl was an eighteen-year-old staffer working in her father's office. The thing she found noble in him, even though he was in military, he wished for more peaceful times.

She couldn't remember when she told him her feelings, but she could remember her surprise when he seemed to reciprocate those feeling. (Little did Lisa know, but Karl was just amused at the schoolgirl crush of hers.) The time she spent with him was the best time in her, then young, life.

However their time was short. Even before Lisa introduced herself to Karl, he put in a transfer to Mars Base Sara. Six months into their "relationship," he received that transfer. Initially Lisa was saddened, but it was the catalyst for her decision to join the military. She would join him in space.

Karl thought it was sweet, the conviction she showed in wanting to join him on Mars Base Sara. So he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Lisa had received kisses on the cheek many times from her family, but this one was special because it was her first kiss from a boy.

When her father, the great Admiral Donald Hayes, the commander of the United Earth Defense Forces, heard his daughter was eager to join the military, he happily gave her an age exemption, thus permitting her to join the next class at the academy. That was how Lisa became the youngest person to ever enter the academy.

Lisa stepped over to the desk where she found a picture of the two of them days before he left. Next to it laid his journal. Opening it, she took a seat and started reading.

* * *

Two and a half minutes remained and Lisa still hadn't returned. Worst of all, she hadn't moved in close to five minutes. Concerned, Claudia started calling her over the comlink but wasn't getting any type of response. It wasn't like the link had gone dead. That's how they knew where she was. Time was becoming critical. "Captain, Commander Hayes isn't moving or answering our calls," Claudia stated.

Except for this, their retreat was moving smoothly. The enemy was even falling into their trap, just like they had-very unsuspecting. For Gloval, Lisa was an integral member of his crew. Besides her father would relieve him of duty, if Admiral Hayes found out he left his daughter to die on the surface of Mars when they could have saved her. So a retrieval mission was ordered.

* * *

Roy went over the tac-net to speak to his squadron. "Listen up, fellas. Looks like the rooster's got a wayward hen, and we've been tabbed to bring it back to the coop. Ranma, Rick, I want you on it."

"Roger that, sir," they replied.

Banking away, they were supplied the coordinates of their rescuee. When they noticed that they had to go to one of the building, Ranma wondered who could possibly stupid as to get themselves trapped on a base that was about to go BOOM.

Roy knew who it was, so he intentionally didn't tell them who it was. He knew (as well as many others) of the tension between the Ensign Saotome and Lieutenant Commander Hayes. No doubt Ranma would have resisted it he knew. Rick would have done it solo, but Roy considered Ranma his best man for this job.

In fact, he had been thinking of putting the two up for promotion. They'll probably receive a medal if they pull this off.

Ranma and Rick dove down onto the base, destroying all Battlepods in the immediate area. Switching to Guardian mode, they skated to the designated building. Ranma had Rick provide him with covering fire as he made his way to the side of the building the person was located.

And that's when Ranma found out who it was. "Ya gotta be kidding me," was the first thing he said.

"What's that?" Rick asked.

"Looks like Miss High and Mighty bridge officer has gotten herself stuck."

Rick didn't even have to ask for the meaning of that. He only wished there could be some type of cease-fire between Ranma and Commander Hayes.

* * *

Lisa made herself completely clueless to the happenings of outside, including the fact the base was set to explode. She didn't care. This place was where the man she loved lived and possibly lost his life, and this was where she would join him.

So could it be poetic justice that the one voice she never wanted to hear would bring her back to the real world?

"Commander Hayes, please move towards the door," said Ranma. "I'm going to break the window and get you out of here."

"Just leave me be," replied Lisa.

"Sorry, ma'am. I can't do that."

"Then I'll make it an order."

This was no time for an argument. The whole base was going to explode in a few seconds. "Look, stupid, this base is gonna go, and I don't plan on being here when it does." Ranma rammed in the right arm and extracted Lisa from the room.

"Got her. Let's go," Ranma said to Rick.

They left with Lisa literally kicking and screaming. However in doing so, the journal she was holding slipped out her hands and fell back to Mars.

"Riber!" she screamed as she watched another piece of her love leave her.

As they sped away, the reflex furnace overloaded and cancelled the mines. This allowed the SDF-1 to leave the ground. Minutes later, Mars Base Sara was no more, taking the majority of the Zentraedi strike force with it.

Khyron was one of the fortunate to escape. As he watched the SDF-1 get away, he stewed in the hatred of knowing he was defeated by Micronians.

* * *

That night Lisa cried herself to sleep, just like the day she learned about the Mars uprising.

Author's notes:

With the fact that this isn't going to a Rick/Lisa pairing I decided to use Kim to form Rick's love triangle. Simply put, I consider her in the top ranks of beautiful women on the show-along with Lisa, Minmei and Miriya. But since Miriya is here yet, and the fact there's no way to separate her from Max, it fall to Kim.


	7. Black Team revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 7: Black Team

* * *

Ranma loved the time away from constant action. The squadron had been given a twenty-four hour pass, and he was making the most of it by utilizing the new workout room in the base gym. This provided him the opportunity to work on the Art. He was confident his skills weren't diminishing. With what little time he had to devote to the Art, it wasn't enough to keep him from where he wanted to be, and that was to be better than what he was before he left the Tendo Dojo. Granted he was the best martial artist that ever lived.

He finished up his workout by doing a simple kata to cool down. Then he would wait for another kendo lesson from his mother. Since he had learned Genma's school of martial arts, Nodoka felt it was time for Ranma to learn her family's style of kendo. In fact she had been teaching him before coming to Macross Island. He often wondered why his uncle didn't join him. Surely his skill hasn't diminished.

As Ranma went through his cool down, three figures entered the room. Lisa came (or rather forced by Claudia) to workout in order to get over Karl Riber once again. It'd been over a week now, and all she did was show up for her shift and retreat into her room when it was over.

Sammie and Vanessa had joined her, not because they wanted to come to the gym. They believed themselves to be rather fit, but Claudia had asked them to go with Lisa, making sure she would leave her room. However Kim got out of it, saying she already had plans. Though the two were mad at her, that was washed aside as they watched a hunk moving with fluid motion across the room. Drool almost escaped from Sammie's lips, watching his muscle glistening with sweat. Drool did leave Vanessa's lips as she saw how his tank top clung to his skin, proudly displaying his pecs. Their first thought was, _Boy, is Kim going to kick herself, missing a hunk like this!_

Lisa, on the other hand, wasn't affected the body. In fact, it was the cracking of her knuckles (quite undignified for a lady) that brought her companions out of their hormonal stupor. A devious grin appeared on her face as she mentally thanked Claudia. She knew exactly who it was. The others soon realized who it was, and it didn't matter what his reputation was amongst the bridge crew. Ensign Ranma Saotome was now marked Grade A beefcake.

"Fine place to meet, 'ey, Saotome," Lisa said with much venom. Clearly she still blamed him for Sara Base.

Ranma stopped and turned to the girls. "Awe, man," was all he could say.

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Ah, look, Commander, I'll just leave if you guys want the room," Ranma said. It was his day off, and he wanted a peaceful day. So he tried the kind approach. There was no way he was going to get into another verbal confrontation.

"Yes, that would be fine," Lisa replied, though she wanted to beat the crap out of him.

_Maybe, mom's suggestion worked_, he thought. One look at her told him that it might need more.

"But before you leave, how about sparring with me?" Lisa asked.

First Ranma looked surprised. Then he shook his head in disbelief. It seemed he found the one girl in the entire ship that loved confrontations with him. "A-Ah, I don't think so."

"What! Surely a martial artist like yourself isn't afraid of a little girl like me," retorted Lisa. There was war raging inside Lisa's head that caused her sudden reconsideration. One side wanted Ranma from her sight and the other wanted to pound him into the ground.

"No," answered Ranma. "I just don't like hitting girls."

That garnered a sigh from Sammie and Vanessa because of how noble he sounded.

Another reason for Ranma's reluctance was the fact he didn't believe that Lisa knew any martial arts. _Though she could pack a lot of power in her slaps._ Then he was proven slightly wrong when Lisa got into a classic karate stance.

He instantly looked to the ceiling, asking, _Why me?_

"Okay," he sighed out. "Will first one to land a blow do?"

Lisa nodded her head. One blow was all she needed. She had studied karate in the academy because she was always the shortest or smallest person in any activity. Unfortunately she hadn't done much training since being stationed on Macross Island.

Lisa attacked first, but she was so slow that Ranma easily dodged her attacks. As it went on, Ranma was reminded of the first time Akane asked to spar, except Akane was a lot faster or was he thinking faster due to the training with Cologne. Ranma saw potential in her, but he saw potential in a lot of the pilots.

He spied his mother standing with two bokkens in the doorway and knew it was time to end thing. Much like the way he finished Akane that first time, he flipped over Lisa and gently tapped on the shoulder. It happened so suddenly that it took Lisa by surprised. She had been pressing him. Then he was no longer in front, and she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was over.

"Sorry, but I got things to do with my mom," Ranma said, apologetically.

Lisa turned around, the look of surprise on her face. She could say nothing as Ranma walked over to a lady who he said was his mother but looked way too young to be a mother.

* * *

"Ranma, haven't I told you to try to be nice to that girl?" Nodoka asked.

They were making their way back to the White Dragon after leaving the gym.

"I tried," replied Ranma. "At first, it seemed like she would just let me leave. Then she wanted to spar."

"Well, just remember, you already have a fiancée."

Ranma stumbled at hearing that. It wasn't like he was looking for another girl to add to his problems. However Nodoka seemed to be trying to remind him that, according to him, he and Akane started the same way.

"What! I ain't falling in love with another tomboy!"

"And which one is that?" inquired Nodoka. It was hard not to know to whom he was referring. Roy had told her about what happened on that tragic day. Of course Roy thought it was hilarious.

"Lisa Hayes, of course."

Unfortunately Nodoka didn't get the chance to follow up on the comment. Ranma suddenly disappeared from her side. She could hear him complaining about something. Turning to the voice, she saw her son being forced to go in the other direction by Minmei.

"We'll be back later," Minmei said, struggling to get Ranma to go in the direction she wanted.

"Okay, dear."

Minmei pushed Ranma away for awhile, well after Ranma turned around, until they came to an alley. There she poured some cold water over his head, giving her an instant redhead. Ranma didn't have to wait for the water to run down his head to know the curse was activated. It wasn't everyday where one second you're taller than your "little sister" and the next, she's taller by a couple of inches.

"Awe, Minmei, what's ya do that for?" Ranma asked.

"I need you to come with me," replied Minmei.

"And I couldn't do it the way I was."

"No. It would be too suspicious. Nobody knows you in your female form, right?"

Minmei was right about that. Since the start of their journey home, this was the third time Ranma had been a female. Ranma was happy he was no longer a water magnet. That didn't mean he hadn't avoided the simple splashes of cold water, like that fountain in the park.

Ranma nodded in response. Minmei grabbed her right wrist and, saying come on, drug her out of the alley and further on down the street. Since she was now shorter than Minmei and weighed less than before, Ranma could do nothing to stop the girl who wasn't even as strong as either of his fiancées.

A minute later, they came to a restaurant, serving food popular in the United States.

"How many in your party, Minmei?" the hostess asked.

"Just us two," Minmei replied.

The hostess led them to a table. Minmei took the seat that allowed her to spy on the reason they were there. Ranma looked at her and noticed Minmei wasn't paying attention to her. Following Minmei's line of sight, she saw Rick and Kim sitting on the other side of room.

_This must be their date_, Ranma thought. Then she looked back at Minmei and wondered why she brought her there.

_Minmei couldn't be jealous, could she?_ Ranma asked herself.

"Min-" she started to say when a waitress came with two glasses of water.

"Are you two ready to order?" she asked.

Neither of them had thought to look at the menu. "Ah, could you give us a little more time?" asked Ranma.

Minmei looked away from Rick and asked Ranma if she had her ration card.

"Yeah. How come?"

"I left mine at home."

"But I can't use it."

"What!" Minmei was surprised to hear that. "But I thought you could use it anywhere?"

"I can. But Ranma Saotome's a guy. Remember!"

Minmei hadn't thought they'd be picky on who used it. Fortunately Ranma let Minmei know they were all right because she had money on her. Minutes later, their orders were on the table, but Minmei was paying attention to Rick and Kim talk, laugh, and smile.

Ranma watched Minmei and noticed minute by minute her expression went darker and darker. She remembered seeing the same look in Akane whenever Ukyo or Shampoo showed affection to him. At that moment he made the connection between the rumors of Akane's jealousy to her actions. That definitely meant Minmei was jealous of Kim.

But how come? Hadn't she said that they were just friends. Or did that kiss that Rick told her about before their first mission really mean something to Minmei? Unfortunately she didn't have the chance to ask her.

"Oh, hi, Minmei," Rick said, coming behind Ranma.

"Hi, Rick," said Minmei, displaying her trademark smile. "Have you met my friend, Ranko…"

It took Ranma by surprise that Minmei was introducing her to Rick. "Hasegawa," she blurted out. "Ranko Hasegawa."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Hasegawa," Rick said. He gestured to Kim as he introduced her. Neither noticed the look Kim had for Ranma.

Minmei wanted to ask why they were here, but Rick said they had to be going. They were going to the theatre to see an old movie.

Five minutes after they were gone, Minmei said she was ready to go. She was going to follow Rick to the theatre. But Ranma knew exactly what Minmei was up. So she refused to go. Minmei was shocked to hear that.

"Look, let Rick have some fun, and we'll have some fun on our own."

Minmei was hesitant but relented. "I guess you'd want to change back now?" she asked.

"Nah. I think I'll stay like this for awhile."

"I thought you hated being a girl?"

"Awe, it's okay this time. Besides, mom says I still need to get use it."

* * *

Rick woke up the next day, not believing what a wonderful time he had. He didn't know if any date could be any more fun. First there was dinner, where they bumped into Minmei and that "cute" redheaded friend of hers, Ranko Hasegawa. They went to the theatre where they showing a classic, _Star Wars_. He was surprised to find out it was one of Kim's favorite movies. Afterwards they went to the new miniature golf place, where they ran into Minmei and Ranko again. Well, they didn't actually run into them but spotted the two laughing. Finally he walked her back to her room and got a kiss on the cheek for the nice date.

He laid in the bed biding time before he had to show up in the Skull Squadron ready room for his patrol. Over the PA, he heard Kim announcing a group of names that needed to report to headquarters. Right then he noticed the pink envelope with a red heart on it and smacked his head for his forgetfulness. Today was Minmei's birthday, and he forgot to get something for her.

He still had time before he had to report for duty. That time was taken from him when he heard his name at the end of Kim's list. He wondered what he could have done that he needed to report to headquarters.

Stepping out the door, he spotted Ranma doing the same thing.

"So they called for you, too," Ranma said.

Rick nodded his reply, and the two headed for headquarters. For awhile neither spoke, then Rick asked, "I wonder what they want?"

The question was left hanging until they were almost there

"I have no clue," Ranma finally replied.

They straighten out their uniforms before Rick knocked and announced their arrival. The door opened, revealing some high ranking officers amongst the flight wing, including Roy, seated around a horseshoe style table. Standing in front of that table were the other pilots summoned to headquarters.

_This must be big_, Ranma thought as the door closed behind him.

* * *

The two walked back to the barracks with Roy, smiles on their faces, and medals on their chest. They were rewarded the Titanium Medal of Valor because of their actions of Sara Base, most likely from their rescue/retrieval mission.

When they left the ceremony, Roy asked them to follow him to his room.

"Now I don't want that to go to your heads, you two," Roy said.

"Sure won't, Uncle Roy," Ranma said.

Roy let that "Uncle Roy" comment go. He didn't allow Ranma to say it on a regular basis so it didn't seem the young ensign received preferential treatment from the CAG.

"So, Rick, how was your date yesterday?" Ranma asked.

"How did you know it was yesterday?" inquired Rick. He hadn't told anyone the date of the date.

"AAAhhh, Minmei said she saw you and Kim at Barnie's yesterday," Ranma made up. He couldn't exactly telling him he was there as Ranko Hasegawa.

"That wouldn't be Kim Young, would it?" Roy guessed.

"That's her," Ranma answered.

"Why you lucky dog," Roy said, giving Rick a slap on the back. "Do you know how many pilots want to date the hottest of the 'Bridge Bunnies'?"

"Could you not refer to her like that?"

Roy and Ranma had to laugh at that. Here was Rick, being protective of the nickname for the group which Kim Young belonged. A nickname, that until a few weeks ago, he readily used.

Roy and Ranma were still laughing when they entered Roy's room. Roy was the first to calm himself as he went over his desk. Ranma and Rick took a seat on the couch. Ranma stopped laughing, picked up Roy's guitar, and started strumming.

"Play something real," Rick said, covering his ears it was so bad.

Ranma stated that he'd try, lying that he wasn't that good. Then he proceeded to subconsciously play The Beatles' _Nowhere Man_. Rick recognized the tune and realized how perfectly Ranma played it.

"Can't you do anywhere badly?" he asked.

Ranma stopped and gave Rick a confused look. He hadn't a clue what Rick was talking about. Rick explained that he was playing _Nowhere Man_ exactly like the recording. Ranma said he honestly didn't know he was doing, and then proceeded to play _The Pretender_. Rick couldn't believe he found the one person who did things perfectly without even trying.

Roy was surprised by his nephew's abilities. For someone who was raised with the sole purpose of being the greatest martial artist to ever live, his talents were so diverse. Then again Ranma's mother was his sister. She could do anything that she put her mind to, and never halfway. Seeing Rick's frustration, Roy knew exactly how he felt. _Like mother, like _son, he thought. Snapping out of that thought, he brought out two boxes and tossed them to Ranma and Rick.

"What are these, Roy?" asked Rick.

"Just another medal you two are going to have to get use to, Lieutenants Hunter and Saotome."

"Lieutenants," said the two ensigns. They opened up their box, and sure enough there was the single silver bar signifying the rank of lieutenant junior grade. Their faces lit up in surprise. They certainly weren't expecting to receive promotions this soon.

"And here's something else, Ranma," Roy stated. "I'm giving you your own team and assigning three guys to you. Here's the information of two of them."

Roy opened his laptop, and after it woke from sleep mode, it presented Ranma with the dossiers of two ensigns straight out of flight school. As the pictures of the two ensigns were shown, the computer said, 'Ensign Dixon, Benjamin; 378 hours in flight simulation and 66 actual hours. Class A. Ensign Sterling, Maximillian; 320 hours in flight simulation and 60 actual hours."

"Geez, Uncle Roy, me and Rick had more hours than they do two weeks before induction day," Ranma said, looking up from the computer.

"These guys are novice," Rick added.

"Oh, and you two are old veterans," Roy said sarcastically and then tossed a booklet to Ranma. "This should help you in learning how to command."

Ranma glanced through it. While doing so, he asked, "So who's the third?"

"You're sitting right next to him."

Ranma looked at Rick, who had the look of surprise on his face. "Y-You mean, I'm not getting a team also!"

"Well, the two of you seemed to work so well together. I couldn't break up the pair. Besides, why do you think I have someone ranking over me as my second in command like Captain Kramer."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "That must be your ensigns right now."

The door opened revealing a tall burly guy with brown hair, styled in a fauxhawk, and a smaller average built guy with medium-length, straight blue hair, wearing aviator glasses.

_Are you allow to wear glasses as a pilot_, Ranma thought.

Rick thought the same thing but concluded that he must be really special.

"Ensigns Dixon and Sterling, reporting as order," said the burly one, both of them offering salutes.

Roy returned the salutes. "Yes. And here are your team commander and XO, Lieutenants Ranma Saotome and Rick Hunter, both newly promoted."

"Congratulations, Lieutenants," said the smaller guy. Maximillian, if Rick remembered correctly.

"Thanks, Ben, Maximillian," replied Ranma.

"You can call me Max, sir."

Ranma looked at his watch and realized that he was late. "Well, it's nice meeting you two, but I have to go."

Ranma left on his way back to his room. Rick realized why he left. Minmei's party was to start soon, and it would be bad if the "brother" showed up late. It would be equal bad if he himself did show up at all.

"Look, Roy, I have to be going too."

"Say, Lieutenant, you wouldn't happen to be goin in ta town?" Ben asked and got a nod in response. "Well you wouldn't mind if we tagged along."

"Sure. Why not."

And the three departed for Macross City and the White Dragon.

* * *

Khyron sat in his Officer's Pod, still seething in anger over the Mars operation. Never before has an enemy embarrassed him when he fell for the Micronians' trap by using his own devices. He volunteered to press the attack to make up for this embarrassment, but Breetai always told him no, sending in other units instead.

So he had decided to take it upon himself to attack the Micronians.

"But my lord," his new second in command started, "what about Commander Breetai. He won't like this unauthorized attack."

"Forget him!" Khyron bellowed. "Do you dare question my authority?"

He could already feel that he was going to have to replace this one, too. He last one, Gerero, was currently in solitary confinement for not detecting the Micronians underground activities.

"Besides, he will be none the wiser. For all he knows, we're just out doing training maneuvers, and that's all he needs to know."

"My lord?"

"We'll deal with that ship our own way," Khyron continued.

* * *

Three members of the newly formed Veritech team made their way into the city. As they walked down the street, a convoy of Veritech wreckage went by. Rick looked at his two companions to see their reaction. Their mood seemed to change.

"That's the whole reality of war," Rick said.

"I just hope I don't ended up like that," said Max.

"There's no need to worry, Max," boasted Ben. "Not as long as I'm around."

"What are you guys standin' around for?" asked Ranma, who'd came upon them. "I mean, Minmei's party just started. I'm sure she'll be upset at you for being late."

Together they proceeded to the White Dragon. Rick noticed Ranma was carrying a wrapped package about the size of a CD case. It had to be Minmei's birthday present. Something he didn't have because he forgot to get one.

And he didn't have time to rectify the matter because they were at the White Dragon. Entering, they were greeted by the birthday girl, herself, wearing a purple Cheongsam with her hair done up in twin buns with a braid extending down from them. The only thing that prevented her from being the most beautiful person in the place was the angry expression her face.

"Ricky Hunter, you're late."

It didn't matter that Ranma was late with him. _Must be a privilege of being the "brother."_

"Sorry, Minmei, we got held up with Roy."

_Sure, held up with Roy_, She thought. _Couldn't he come up with a better excuse than that?_

"Here ya go, sis," Ranma said, handing her birthday present. It was a preemptive strike, and he thought that Rick should have done the same. Too bad he didn't know Rick hadn't gotten Minmei a present.

Minmei happily took her present. Then she waited for Rick to give his to her. Rick could see that in her eyes.

He was fortunate for another save from Ranma. Hearing about their promotions, Minmei was happier for Ranma than concerned about Rick and her missing present.

After giving him a congratulatory hug, she led him to one of the remaining empty tables. Ben and Max followed, while Rick was reluctant to do so. As they took a seat, Minmei asked who the two guys were. That made Ben and Max feel a little self-conscious for inviting themselves to their commander's table.

"Oh! Yeah." Ranma felt embarrassed that he hadn't introduced them sooner. "Ah, these are Ensigns Ben Dixon and Max Sterling. They've been assigned to me."

"Assigned to you?" Minmei asked.

"Yeah. Uncle Roy's givin' me my own team and assigned them and Rick to my command.

"That's great. Come on. Let's tell mom." With that, Minmei led him out of the restaurant.

"Boy, the lieutenant sure has a hot-looking sister," commented Ben.

"I'd watch what you say," said a male from the next table. "Ranma's rather protective of her around you pilots."

Rick recognized the stout, balding man. "Hello, Mr. Mayor."

"Nice to see you, Rick," said Tommy Luan. "Though I wonder what you've done. In all the time I've known Minmei, I've never seen her angry."

* * *

Lisa stood at her station but wasn't really cognizant of what she was doing. She just stared out into space, spaced out. Her mind was focused elsewhere, drooling over the memory of a man that was forced into her life. Remembering how the sweat dripped off his skin, how his t-shirt clung to his chest, showing his definition, and how his movements seemed so fluid as he worked out. Moving in a way that she'd never thought was possible.

If her conscious brain realized her subconscious was daydreaming about Ranma Saotome, it would have considered going back to her room, for there had to be something wrong. She proved herself to be no different than Sammie and Vanessa, knowing that she saw a handsome man the other day.

"Lisa, are you alright?" Claudia asked.

"Huh!" Lisa exclaimed, returning to the real world. "Yeah, I'm okay." She could never admit to Claudia that she was thinking about Roy's nephew while on duty.

Claudia purposefully handed her the promotion list. She wanted to see her reaction to a certain name of a certain somebody.

"What? Why him?" Lisa was flabbergasted after reading the list. "How did he get promoted to team leader?"

Claudia was trying as hard as possible not to laugh at her friend, though she couldn't figure out why Lisa could still be mad at Ranma. She met him, and he seemed to be a nice kid. "Maybe it had something to do with rescuing a female commander in distress," she replied.

Lisa groaned, saying something to the effect of not believing she was responsible for getting him his new position. However she didn't have the time to dwell on that. She laid the sheet of paper down and looked up to her overhead monitor. As it displayed the short-range radar, it was curiously blank. She adjusted the gain in case it was out of whack, but there was still nothing.

"Say, Claudia, isn't there suppose to be something on the screen?"

Claudia turned to hers and noticed it was blank. "Yeah. Try switching over to the backup."

Lisa did, and that got here static. They turned to Vanessa to see if there was anything wrong with the long-range radar. It was worked perfectly fine. That could only mean they were being jammed, and if it was the short-range, the attack was imminent.

* * *

"Sing with me, Ranma?" asked Minmei. "We haven't sung together in forever."

Ranma had returned to the table to introduce his mother to his subordinates. Hearing Minmei's request, he felt a little self-conscious. According to his father, singing was one of those unmanly things, so he would only sing only to himself until Minmei snuck up and caught him.

"Ah, I-I don't know," he replied.

"I'd like to hear you sing, son," commented Nodoka.

Ranma was saved by the sounding of the klaxon sirens. That abruptly ended the party as pilots ran out of the restaurant. Ranma and his team were the first to exit and were greeted by a taxi that just pulled up to the restaurant to drop off some patrons. They hopped in, and before they gave the driver their destination, the other pilots piled in. The driver wasn't pleased. He could take four, but with the sudden rush, it was not a comfortable fit. And it was breaking tons of safety regulations. However with the pilots (excluding Ranma and his team) explaining about it being an emergency and the need to get to the _Prometheus_, there was nothing he could do. The pilots would make sure he had a taxi to drive.

Rick, Ben, and Max were squished in the back, while Ranma experienced the same thing in the front. Rick looked at Max, who had a look of uncertainty. "Say, Max, you okay?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," answered Max. "I'm just nervous."

"No need to worry, Max. Not when I'm around," boasted Ben.

* * *

An hour later, the Veritech squadrons had scrabbled. While Skull and Red advanced to the in-bound Zentraedi, Ranma and his team, designated Black Team, had been positioned in the Fourth Quadrant. This meant they stayed close to the SDF-1, flying protection near the untransformed booms of the main gun.

In a way, Ranma was okay being assigned the Fourth Quadrant. Sure he wished to be in the action, but he felt sending them out to meet the enemy was almost suicide with his two new ensigns. However it meant that he had to put up with Ben's grumbling.

"Skipper, do you think we could go over where all the action is?" asked Ben, referring to the lights of destruction off in the distances.

"Ben, I know you want to get some action. Hell, I liked to be in the action. But unless you have a death sentence, you'll stay right there," stated Ranma.

_Hopefully_, Ranma thought, _statin' it that way will stop Ben from askin' that again_.

But he didn't have to worry about Ben asking much longer. Back on the bridge, they spotted a group of Battlepods approaching from another direction. Lisa immediately ordered the team to intercept.

Ben's impatience showed as he flew headlong into the formation of Battlepods. With all that eagerness to get into the fight, his first run into an enemy formation netted a total of zero hits. The Battlepods were quick to fire upon him. If it wasn't for his commander, his participation in the war would have ended right there. Ranma followed behind Ben and picked off three that immediately got onto Ben's tail.

"Thanks, skip," said Ben.

"You just don't run into a fight without knowing your opponent's strengths, Ben," replied Ranma. Then he returned to business, at least the business of flying. As for fighting, it was more like dodging as he watched the spectacle that was Maximillian Sterling. Max zipped and zoomed through the Zentraedi formation like it was nothing.

Ben realized he wouldn't have to look after Max but disliked how it appeared Max was able to do those things with ease. Soon what Max was doing not only had Ben's attention but also the senior officers. Both Ranma and Rick noticed the swarm of activity and realized their young ensign was at the center of it.

Max shifted to Battloid mode and used the Gatling to pick off Battlepods at will, using evasive maneuvers Rick thought only Ranma was capable of doing. Ranma, on the other hand, watched Max push the Veritech in ways many didn't think possible, though he was often told he did the same thing. He had to wonder if this was the famed alpha state that pilots were capable of obtaining. In that state pilots were one with their mecha. A state that Rick had often told him he achieved.

Though his eyes watched Max's feats on the battlefield, Ranma was still attuned to the happenings of his surrounding. With instincts honed by his ten-year training trip, he sensed a 'Pod trying to come up from behind. So he nudged the stick forward, bringing the nose down, and started the fighter into a forward spin. While he was in the spin, he started the mechamorphosis that would lead him into the Battloid mode. When the spin ended, there was Ranma, in Battloid mode, Gatling aimed at the Battlepod. With a simple squeeze of the trigger, the Battlepod was no more.

Over the tac-net, Ranma heard humbling remarks of Max. "I'm happy I was able to help out." Ranma later found out that Max acted just like him and took out a 'Pod that tried to sneak up on him.

"Let me show you something that I learned at flight school." Max proceeded to explain the maneuver to the group. As hard as it was to talk while pulling the G forces in most moves the Veritechs could do, Max talked with great clarity.

The maneuver went like this. Max allowed an enemy Battlepod to come upon him from behind. Then he ascended before inverted himself, firing his thrusters so that he was coming down the enemy's throat. Finally he opened fire, taking out the pod plus two more that appeared suddenly, one of which came unannounced to Rick's port side.

"It's called Fokker's Feint," Max said.

Ranma was impressed Max was able to accomplish one of his uncle's patented moves. Just then Lisa Hayes appeared over the tac-net, complaining about the poor reaction time of the team. Ranma countered by asking why was she complaining since there weren't any more functioning Battlepods.

* * *

Off to the side, Khyron watched the proceedings of the two diversions. One led the majority of the Micronian fighters away, and the second brought out the more of remaining defenders. Though it didn't go exactly the way he wanted, it did bring to bear holes in the fortress's defensive perimeter.

His remaining attack group peppered away at the in-close defenses. Those that were slow on the attack were eliminated. All that led to Khyron attacking the most exposed part of the defense.

Things were going too easy.

* * *

Black Team made their way back to their position when Lisa Hayes appeared on Ranma's tac-net.

"Enemy forces have broken through our defenses in the Third Quadrant. You're our only hope, Black Leader."

"We're on our way," replied Ranma.

Ranma relayed this to the team, and Ben took the lead. When the enemy was in sight (not in range), he let loose a score of missiles. All of them detonated before reaching the target. Ranma immediately warned him about the wasteful use of ammunition.

Enemy Battlepods were approaching the bridge of the SDF-1. The four Veritechs positioned themselves on the hull of the SDF-1 between the bridge and the enemy, two VF-1As and two VF-1Js in Battloid mode. There wasn't much difference between the two types. The major difference was that the VF-1A has one light laser cannon mounted on top of its head, as oppose to two mounted of the sides of the VF-1J's head. This also meant the heads were designed differently. Like Rick and Ranma, Ben and Max's VF-1As were color schemed differently. Ben's Veritech was the traditional tan color, while Max's was predominately white with blue on the legs, forearms, shoulders, and head.

Once on the hull, Ranma, Rick, and Max got the attention of the attacking Battlepods and went about fighting them off. On the other hand, Ben seemed more adapted at missing the target and dodging enemy fire though he could only dodge for so long before he eventually was hit. A Battlepod finally got close and shot his in the back. The hit knocked him to the hull. Rick, who was close by, shot the offending Battlepod. Then he walked over to Ben to see if he was okay.

"Ben, are you okay in there?"

"Yeah, I'm alive," Ben groaned weakly.

It was obvious he was hurt. Rick decided to stick nearby so that nothing happened to him. Elsewhere, Ranma spotted the Officer's Pod of Khyron. He had seen one before, back on Mars and remembered the type devastation it caused amongst the fighter wing. So he started to shadow it.

Khyron had to laugh at the thought of a puny Micronian trying to match wit with him. He brought left cannon to bear and fired at him. Fortunately Ranma was ready for it. He moved to his left, dodging the discharge. Ranma squeezed off a couple of bursts in return. Khyron dodged them by lifting off the hull. Once spaceborne, Khyron came down on Ranma, firing both cannons.

Ranma rolled forward to avoid the cannons' fire. But he wasn't fortunate as his left arm was caught by it, separating it from the Battloid's body. It was the first time that he'd been hit. Angry at that, he came up shooting mad at the Officer's Pod. Ranma took off the Pod's right arm in return.

* * *

Onboard Breetai's flagship, he and Exedore watched the happenings around the battle fortress. Breetai had to be woken up from his sleep. So it was quite logical as to why he wore an angry scowl. The battle raging was clearly unauthorized.

"Khyron has taken things into his own hands, Commander," stated Exedore. "Just as I feared."

Breetai watched the display some more. "So this is the training mission Khyron reported about. How dare he try to make me look stupid?"

Exedore suggested that they recall Khyron before he destroyed the ship. Breetai rambled on about not being made a fool, warning Khyron about stepping out of line. Then he ordered the use of the nebulizer to override the astrological systems to the attacking force, forcibly ending the assault.

Exedore moved over to the nebulizer controls and said, "Ready to initiate on you command."

To which Breetai told him to proceed.

* * *

It was a virtual showdown between Ranma and Khyron. Neither had moved since Ranma took out Khyron's right cannon. But that's not to say that they weren't prepared to fire again. Both were angry for being shot. For Ranma, it was his first time. For Khyron, he couldn't believe he allowed some thing beneath him to strike him.

What they both believed was only one of them would leaving this fight alive.

Suddenly various gauges and instruments activated within Khyron's Pod. They were only activated for a specific reason. Khyron was instantly upset. Breetai had gotten wise to what he was doing and activated the nebulizer. That effectively ended his operation.

Khyron started banging on the instruments in his cockpit as it lifted off the hull of the SDF-1. Along with the rest of his attack force, he "retreated" from the battlefield, cursing at Breetai the entire way.

Ranma was surprised by what was happening. He had the urge fire on the retreating Officer's Pod, but that was against his nature. He wasn't going to start taking advantage of an opponent at a moment where they can't defend themselves now.

Once it was clear that their opponent had retreated, Ranma ordered his team back to _Prometheus_.

* * *

A half hour later, Rick sat in the mess room, eating an apple while thinking about everything that had happened in the past few hours. He'd received a medal. He had been promoted. And he had been put a new team, under the command of his friend, Ranma Saotome.

Speaking of the team, he was soon joined at the table by his new teammates.

"Hey there, Lieutenant," said Ben. His head was wrapped with bandage, covering the wound caused from the hit he received.

"Hey, Ben, Max," Rick acknowledged. "So how's the head?"

Ben laughed a bit. And pointing to his head, he said it was okay. "Better than my Veritech, though. They said a whole section was blown off. It's a good thing the repairs don't come out of my paycheck!" Ben's last statement had the sound of relief with a bit of disappointment.

"Max, you did pretty good," Rick said.

"Yeah, but it was all luck," Max replied, sounded a bit uncomfortable receiving praise. "They said I bagged nine, though."

Ben set up from his slouching position. He couldn't believe little ole Max destroyed nine Battlepods when he didn't get a single one. He asked Rick about his total, and Rick nonchalantly said five. That made him feel a little bad that he didn't even bother to think how many his commander had.

And though no one asked the question, Rick gave them the statement that Ranma didn't know.

"Why doesn't the lieutenant know?" asked Max.

"Well, it's more like he prefers not to know. He's a martial artist by nature and isn't into killing."

"Psst. Then why join the RDF?" asked Ben.

Rick didn't like the comment but controlled his tongue because Ben didn't know Ranma. It was something that Ranma would have to correct him about. Rick was ready to head over to the barracks. Being polite, he asked Ben and Max if they wanted to come along.

After awhile, Max asked why Ranma wasn't around. Rick felt okay in answering this. It was simple to tell them that he had homework to do. He explained that Ranma's mother was home schooling Ranma so he would finish high school. Though Rick believed Nodoka was teaching at a college level, thus Ranma would have a college education instead.

Soon they were back at the barracks, where they went their separate ways. Max left sounding rather enthused about the possibility of going out the next day.

Rick walked back to his room. As he got to his room, he heard Ranma cursing about chemistry. He wondered if Nodoka would be testing him in chemistry tomorrow. He was glad it wasn't him, but he knew, sooner or later, it would. He couldn't avoid Nodoka forever.

Stepping inside, Rick saw Minmei's invitation and immediately remembered he hadn't given her a birthday present. He rushed out his room and made his way to town. Minmei was already upset with him. He hoped he could find something suitable quickly. Unfortunately when he reached Macross City, it was completely dark, as if the entire town had shut down. Rick immediately went into panic mode and ran around town in hopes of finding a late night store. Unfortunately the only think he came across was a Petite Cola machine.

Eventually Rick found himself in front of the White Dragon. He hadn't intended to be there until he had a present, but there he was. A single light was on. It happened to come from Minmei's room. He stood in front of the building, and for some reason he could move.

Soon Rick caught a glimpse of Minmei dancing in her room, wearing headphones. She was singing with the compact disc Ranma got her. Looking out she spotted Rick standing out in the street.

She opened the window and said, "Oh, hi, Rick." It sounded like she was no longer upset.

"Hey, Minmei," he replied, surprised at her tone.

"What are you doing out tonight?"

"Ahhh, well, ahhh. I was coming to bring your birthday present."

"That's great. And you still have time."

Minmei looked so happy that Rick didn't know what to do. He reached into his pocket to make it look like he was searching for it. His hand came across the box containing his medal. Bringing it out, he looked at and thought it might do as a present. Besides he had nothing to lose.

He tossed the box into the window. It landed gently into Minmei's hands. She opened and looked at it. Most people might have wondered why they were being given someone else's medal. But not Minmei. Upon seeing Rick's Titanium Medal of Valor, Minmei's eyes lit up as if it was the most precious thing she had ever been given.

"When did you get this?"

"Oh, I just got it," he replied.

_Protecting you_, he added.

"Well it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Rick smiled as he watched Minmei pin the medal onto her pajamas and saluted. He job was done, and now he wanted some sleep. Saying his goodbyes, Rick started back for the base.

And just before he was out of sight, he shouted back, "Happy Birthday."


	8. Pageant revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 8: Pageant

* * *

Ranma sat as he waited for his mother to come back with his graded Physics examination. He wondered if he had disappointed her, even though he passed all his previous exams with flying colors. Since he believed he didn't test well, he always showed some pessimism whenever it came to waiting for the results.

Even though he was passing the tests, in his mind his mother was writing easy tests. If he only knew that Nodoka made his test harder than any she made for her college students on Earth. If he only realized since he wasn't solely concentrating on martial arts, his brain was freed up to work in an academic frame of mind. If only he could have known that this would happen if he'd just stayed awake and paid attention in school.

And if only he knew that his father was smarter than he looked. There were reasons why Genma kept him out of school or in one for just short periods of time, before moving in with the Tendos. There was a reason for the early morning sparring.

But there were so many 'if onlys' in Ranma's life.

His thoughts ended when Nodoka walked in, carrying a book. Nodoka wore a simple jeans/shirt combo. In the time they had the ship, Ranma hadn't seen her give up wearing her traditional kimono like before coming to Macross. But that was neither here nor there. Ranma assumed the book in her hands was another textbook for another class. Of course Ranma was right.

Nodoka smiled as she placed the new textbook on the table. Ranma had flat out aced the hardest Physics exam she ever created. She never expected him to advance this quickly. It was only six months since she started teaching him, and he was well ahead of what she expected after all those pre-test. Then again he was her son.

Ranma picked the book and looked at it. "What's this for, mom?" he asked a redundant question.

"This is your new Physics book," she answered.

Ranma read the title of the book. "Mechanics! I don't think they're studying Mechanics at Macross High School."

"Well, you're not in Macross High School. But if you want, I could talk to your uncle and see if he could make it so."

The idea of going back to high school sounded embarrassing to Ranma. How could he pull that off? He was a commander of a Veritech team.

Ranma quickly relented. However he didn't understand why he was now going to take Mechanics. Was this in addition to Physics? Nodoka quickly answered those questions by saying that he was moving to the next level of Physics. A level fit for a pilot.

"So does this mean I passed the test?"

Nodoka replied with a yes.

Ranma next asked if they were going to start on Mechanics today. It was Wednesday, and Wednesdays were Physics days according to the schedule.

A schedule that went as followed: Sunday-Chemistry, Monday-Languages/Literature, Tuesday-History, Wednesday-Physics, Thursday-Calculus, Friday-Biology, Saturday-Science Labs (The high school had been kind enough to allow them use.)

But Nodoka offered up a surprise. "No, today we're going to do history."

"But we did history yesterday," Ranma whined. It was obvious he hated history. It wasn't Japanese history, so he didn't know why he had to study. Then again most of what he studied, he hadn't a clue as to why.

"Yes we did," Nodoka replied, sounding more motherly than scholarly, which she usually did during these sessions. "But today I'm going to tell you about our family history. I'm pretty sure you've wondered why your uncle's first name isn't a traditional Japanese name."

Ranma nodded his head, and Nodoka started her tale of her family.

* * *

Mayor Tommy Luan sat in his office. It wasn't often that he was in there, as he liked to be among the people. But today he had a meeting with several officials.

The city had been fully rebuilt after the first transformation. Unfortunately there was no telling how much longer they were going to be in space. That worried Mayor Luan. How much longer could the citizens of Macross last in an environment they really weren't suppose to be in? How much longer could the morale last when the ship was constantly being attacked and transforming?

That's why he called a meeting with city officials.

"Okay, fellas, does anybody have any ideas that will help keep up morale?" he asked.

A couple of ideas were thrown out. One that peaked the mayor's interest was building an amusement park. But he knew to do that, he was going to have to get permission from Captain Gloval. It wasn't like there was much space left.

But he had to remind himself that it was an idea.

Then one of the officials threw out the perfect idea.

"With Jan Morris onboard, I was talking with her people, and the idea came about to hold that pageant we planned on Earth."

"That would be prefect," the mayor instantly agreed.

"Yeah, and with planning to start a television station, it would be the perfect vehicle for its inaugural event," said other official.

Luan agreed with this also. They would hold it in the amphitheatre, but its capacity was somewhat limited. However if they used the new Macross Broadcast System, the entire population would see it.

Then he came up with an idea of his own. Why not have the citizens make the final decision on who would be the winner?

The other officials instantly liked the idea. Of course they all had it figured that the people would vote for the Hollywood star, Jan Morris.

The mayor had another person in mind. A girl that was well liked by the citizens. A girl that the people could consider their own.

Lynn Minmei.

* * *

Learning about his family history took longer than Ranma thought. On day two he learned the recent history of the Hasegawa clan. He now understood why his uncle had a non-Japanese name. He also had somewhat of an explanation as to why his girl form had red hair, since red wasn't a natural hair color amongst the Japanese.

He found out that he was adding to the line of military pilots. His uncle was a fighter pilot, as was his grandfather. His great-grandfather was an American that flew in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. Also his great-great-grandfather was one of the first aviators in Japan.

So Ranma felt honored to be continuing a Hasegawa tradition.

"What I don't understand, why did you agree to the seppuku pact?" Ranma asked. This had been bugging Ranma, ever since his mother found out about his curse. For the first few weeks it was like walking on egg shells, hoping she wouldn't finally ask for his life.

"Well, I never intended for you to be apart of it," Nodoka answered. "It was intended to keep your father in line, not to make you a man amongst men. I only wanted him to guarantee your safety."

_But really I didn't want him taking you from me_, she added to herself.

Ranma was set to ask another question, when Minmei burst through the door. She started screaming something about being chosen. Both mother and son looked that the "daughter" in a bit of wonderment. Whatever it was, Minmei was so ecstatic about it. It was a good five minutes before they found out what it was about. Once calm, Minmei held out a letter that came in the mail. On it was the letterhead for the Committee for the Miss Macross Pageant.

Mother and son were still confused. Minmei explained there was going to be a Miss Macross Pageant, and she had been selected to participate. There were two reactions, one of joy and one of not understanding. Nodoka gave Minmei a hug, happy about Minmei's selection. Ranma didn't quite get what was so special about a Miss Macross Pageant. There was simply explanation for that as Ranma had never experienced a pageant.

Minmei's interruption pretty much finished for the day's instruction. His mother and Minmei left the room to start preparations.

* * *

Ranma walked back to the base, books in his bookbag. He was wondering what he was going to do for the rest of the day. His team had done its patrol for the day, and they weren't scheduled for another for a couple of days.

_Well, I could write that report_, he thought. He glanced up to the ceiling, only there wasn't a ceiling. There was a blue sky. How was there a blue sky, especially on the SDF-1? There were even clouds.

"Well, you don't see that every day."

* * *

The media blitz for the Miss Macross started five days before the pageant. It was hard to miss. There were posters, banners, full page layouts in the paper, internet pop ups, and ads on the television, which were played continuously.

Rick was having lunch with Minmei two days before the pageant. It was the first time since Minmei found out that the two were able to meet. When she told him that she was going to participate in the pageant, Rick didn't know what to say. Then he remembered the letter on the bookcase those many months ago and became happy that Minmei was getting the chance to participate in the pageant.

However deep inside he feared what would happen if she won, as there was sure to be great changes in both their lives. Changes that might make it harder to see her on the irregular basis they already had. Even though he was somewhat "dating" Kim Young, he still hoped there was a chance of a relationship with Minmei.

"Rick, are you alright?" Minmei asked. Rick had sat there in silence.

Rick blinked back to reality. "Yeah," he replied. "I was just wondering. I mean what's gonna happen about us, Minmei."

Rick saw confusion on Minmei's face over that statement. Rick, himself, didn't really know why he said it. So he told her to forget what he said.

Minmei showed her ability to do just that as she reached across the table and took hold of Rick's hand. "Look, Rick. I just want to know if you and the other guys will be there for support. I could use all I can get. No telling, I'll probably be the youngest one in the competitions."

Rick knew she was talking about Ben and Max, as Ranma would naturally be there. Rick looked into her eyes. There was something in them that made it impossible for Rick to refuse her. So he nodded his head, saying, "You know I'll be there. And I'll bet Ranma's going to allow Ben and Max to come. Though the team is scheduled to be on standby patrol, I'm sure Ranma could get Roy to pull some strings."

_Besides even if a patrol is needed that night, Ranma's the one on standby_.

He looked out the window and was amazed to see blue skies. Minmei promptly explained it was the latest innovation from the Robotech scientists. She even said that they were trying to see if it was safe to simulate rain.

Rick muttered, "What will they think of next?" With that said, he finished his tea and told her he had to get going. Ranma scheduled a training session in the new combat simulator.

Sipping her tea after Rick left, Minmei felt a bit more confident knowing that he'd be there. She was more confident about the pageant back on Earth than she was now. Things were different now with the big difference being Jan Morris was going to be there. Jan Morris was her idol. How could she compete with her?

She realized that was the most time the two had spent together in over a month, especially since he now liked to spend time what that girl. Just thinking of Kim caused Minmei to tighten her grip on her cup.

* * *

The ad campaign wasn't limited to just the SDF-1. The feed was also picked up by the Zentraedi. The day of the pageant, Breetai and Exedore watched the images on the projecbeam, but they didn't quite understand them.

With the transmissions they were intercepting, Exedore was beginning to understand the language of the Micronians (at least the one predominately spoken on the SDF-1), but this wasn't anything he could figure out.

"Perhaps it's some form of propaganda," Exedore suggested.

"Yes," Breetai nodded in agreement. "Perhaps it is. Do you understand the meaning of it?"

"Sorry, but I do not, m'lord, though I'm learning their language presently from intercepted transmissions. As for the images, I couldn't begin to think of what they mean."

It didn't help that the feed showed rather grainy images. To that point, Exedore suggested they send in a Cyclops recon vessel in the hopes of gaining better images.

* * *

Inside the SDF-1, everything had virtually shut down in preparation for the Miss Macross Pageant. Everyone was either in their houses or in the Macross Amphitheatre and the surrounding area. The amphitheatre was the most unique structure in the entire city. Also known as the Star Bowl, it was just that, a bowl. Using an indentation of the floor, it was constructed in a configuration reminiscent of the old Greek theatres.

With the seating capacity of 30,000, more than half of the population could not be there in person. That was why this pageant an excellent vehicle for the debut the Macross Broadcast System. Cameras lined around the bowl, ready for the start of the event.

Inside, both Max and Ben had gotten seats. They tried holding two seats for Ranma and Rick, but since they hadn't seen either of them, they soon gave up the seats up. In another part of the amphitheatre, Ranma sat with Nodoka and the Lynns. It wasn't like Ranma planned to sit away from his team. It was just that Ranma was having a small problem today. A small feminine problem. For some reason, he woke up in this morning in his curse form, but that was something easily resolved by taking a shower. When nothing happened, it led to Ranma screaming at the top of her lungs. After talking to Roy, she got herself on emergency medical leave until this "crisis" was over.

She ended up spending the day with the only people who knew. That also meant she "volunteered" to waitress at the White Dragon while Minmei prepared herself for the pageant.

The last remaining member of Black Team made his way to the amphitheatre by bicycle. Pissed off about Ranma's sudden leave of absence, he missed the last vehicle heading into town. Unfortunately he didn't make it there in time as Rick saw the light show that signified the opening of the show in the distances.

* * *

Up in the bridge, the girls watched the pageant on the various monitors. None of them were upset. They all understood that duty came first. That didn't stop them from watching the words "Miss Macross" on their monitors with the twenty-eight contestants entering the stage. As the contestants stood, the announcer let everyone know the prizes for winning: a recording contract, a screen test, and a new fanliner. On cue the fanliner rose from within the floor.

"Wow, they all look so beautiful," commented Kim.

The coverage continued as they went to the judges, allowing the girls to go backstage and prepare for the evening wear competition. And the first judge they introduced was Captain Henry Gloval. The girls had a good laugh, as the captain had the expression that he really didn't want to be there.

"The captain sure looks good on screen," said Claudia.

Lisa agreed with her. She thought about asking Claudia why she didn't enter. She was saved from conveying those thoughts by activity at Vanessa's station. Apparently they weren't the only ones watching the pageant. A Zentraedi recon vessel was picked up on the long range radar, making its way to the SDF-1.

"Who's on patrol?" asked Claudia.

"Skull Squadron's Black Team under the command of Lieutenant Saotome," stated Lisa. Though Ranma had proven himself to be an excellent commander, anytime Lisa saw his name, she mentally groaned.

She got on the phone to _Prometheus_. "Prometheus, this is the bridge. Order Lieutenant Saotome to launch**… **He's out on emergency leave. Okay, launch his backup**…**What! He hasn't arrived yet. All right, who's his backup? **… **Lieutenant Hunter. Okay."

With that, she hung up the phone and paged Lieutenant Rick Hunter.

* * *

Minmei nervously sat behind stage. She wished Ranma would have talked her out of this. All he had to say was _"Minmei, I don't think this is a good thing for you."_ And she would have listened. However she was too ecstatic when she ran into the room that day to listen to anyone.

Down a short ways from Minmei sat a blonde woman, wearing a multicolored headband. She appeared to be just as distraught as Minmei. It wasn't long before another woman with brown came up to the blonde. In her hands she carried a cup of tea.

"I got them to put you at the end of the list," the brunette said, handing over the tea. "I guess they were just being kind to you. You know, with you being the only star on this ship, it's only natural that they have you at the top of the list."

"Thanks, Mary," the blonde said, taking a sip of tea.

By this time, Minmei had noticed the pair and couldn't believe her eyes. It was Jan Morris, and she was just a few feet away from her. Minmei never thought she'd have the opportunity to be this close or quite possibly meet her idol. She walked over to Jan Morris, identified herself as a fan, and asked for an autograph. As Minmei didn't have an autograph book, she held forward a napkin. For some reason, this was the wrong thing to do as Jan Morris stood up and ran away crying.

Mary looked at Minmei in disgust and said, "Next time you want an autograph, get a autograph book." And she walked away after Jan Morris.

Minmei didn't have time to realize she was just insulted, as a backstage worker informed that she was up next.

* * *

Since Rick arrived after the start of the pageant, he stood along the railing outside the amphitheatre, not even bothering to look for a seat. When Minmei made her entrance, the first thing he thought was _**Wow**_! She wore the same Mandarin dress as on her birthday, and her hair was done the same way. Even though he had seen her wear this once before, with the lighting she looked like the most beautiful woman in his world.

The announcer introduced Minmei as originally coming from Yokohama, Japan, and now was working at the White Dragon. Then the announcer told the audience Minmei had just celebrated her sweet sixteen. Once she made it to the end of the runway, the Master of Ceremony turned it over to the judges for questions. The first person to ask Minmei was Captain Gloval.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Do you have a steady boyfriend among the pilots that you call friends?"

Minmei laughed at the statement and replied that she was too young for a steady relationship. Another question asked if there was a special somebody out there. Rick leaned over the railing in anticipation of Minmei's answer. For a guy who was dating another woman on the ship, he surely was anxious for this answer.

"Well, there is this boy that I consider my brother."

Rick was disappointed by the answer. _Is that how she thinks of me?_ he asked himself. He didn't even think that Minmei could be talking about Ranma for Ranma was Minmei's "brother."

Just then, he began hearing this beep. The beep reminded him of a pager. He asked himself why would someone come to the pageant with a pager. It took him a moment, but soon he remembered he brought a pager since he was on alert.

He reached into his pocket, and sure enough, it was him being paged. The people around him gave Rick looks of disgust, not believing the soldier had the nerve to bring a pager.

Rick ran over to the nearest phone and dialed the number showing. He'd never seen this number, so he didn't know the urgency of the matter. The number to the _Prometheus_ he knew and expected to see if it was a matter concerning him being out on patrol.

"This is Lt. Hunter," he spoke calmly into the receiver. There was no response, so he repeated what he said.

After a few moments with no response, he was about to hang up the phone when he heard, "Lt. Hunter, just where the hell are you?" The voice didn't come from the receiver, so Rick began to wonder if he was now hearing things.

What he hadn't realized, he was standing in a video phone booth. Thus he was startled to see Lisa's face.

"C-C-Commander Hayes."

"Yes, Lt. Hunter," replied Lisa. When Rick didn't say saying afterwards, she continued speaking. "Lt. Hunter, you're ready alert. Why are you on the _Prometheus_?"

"I'm eating dinner right now," lied Rick.

"Well if you hadn't forgotten, we're in a war, and we're need you out on patrol, ASAP."

"All right. I'm on my way." Rick didn't sound too enthused as he said it.

Rick walked away from the phone booth and realized how calm Lisa spoke. At least she wasn't as angry as usual.

Rick hailed a cab, and just as he was about to enter, Roy called out to him. He told Rick he was about to miss everything. For about a second, Rick was tempted to say to hell with the patrol. Instead of answering, he sat in the cab and told the driver to take him to the _Prometheus_.

Roy wasn't at all upset by the snub job.

As the cab moved along, he thought back to the calm tone of Lisa Hayes. After a few moments, he came to the conclusion that it had something to with Ranma. Rick was always in the company of Ranma whenever he came across Lisa Hayes.

* * *

"Say, is the new Battloid all ready?" Rick asked one of the technicians once he reached the hanger deck.

"Yeah, it's all set, sir," the tech replied.

Rick was happy to hear that. All suited up, he made his way over to the new (and still experimental) armored Battloid. Figuring if he was going to spend time out in space alone, Rick was going to take it out. It wasn't like Ranma was going to stop him.

The prototype Battloid was similar to a regular Battloid with the only differences being more armoring over the chest, forearms, and legs sections. Rick lowered himself into the cockpit through the head. Afterwards he started walking towards an airlock. With all the armor plating on it, walking looked rather cumbersome.

As he reached the airlock, he said, "This is Lt. Rick Hunter going out on patrol." Firing the rear thrusters, he was in space.

* * *

The craft that precipitated the need for Rick's patrol steadily made its way through space. The sole purpose of the Cyclops deployment was to provide a better quality of picture of the events taking place onboard the SDF-1. It was presently holding its distances away from the ship, but not far enough for it to not be picked up on the long range radar.

Inside the Cyclops, it was manned by a crew of three. Rico, Konda, and Bron. At the current moment, they were gathered around a monitor in front of Rico (ashen colored with black hair) and watched the beginning of the swimsuit portion of the pageant. Since the Zentraedi race segregated the sexes, they were mystified by the swimwear. As they watched, they debated over the purpose of these swimsuits.

"It must be some form of battle armor," said Rico, having gotten over his revolting feelings of seeing females in the same area of males.

Bron (robust with red hair) didn't see it that way. "Why would they have armor that only protects the female's chest and hips?"

Rico countered with the possibility that those were their most vulnerable spots.

Konda (slender with lavender hair) disagreed with both of them. His explanation was that it was some form of a formal uniform.

* * *

Rick did not like this patrol one bit. First of all, it wasn't even his patrol; it was supposed to be Ranma's, who just suddenly had to go on an emergency leave the day of the pageant. Secondly he was missing said pageant, and he'd told Minmei he'd be there for support. On top of that, he got reamed by Commander Hayes for taking out the experimental Battloid.

However the thing he hated most, this patrol was a solo. Most times, patrols were done in pairs. Unfortunately this was a ghost support patrol, meaning everything was done in an attempt of not being seen. That oftentimes meant solo patrols, and nothing was more boring than patrols with no one to talk with.

Lisa appeared over the tac-net. "Prepare to receive new coordinates."

This was the second time she did this. He was beginning to wonder if they knew what they were doing on the bridge. Rick switched the ADF from lock to standby and waited for the new coordinates. Then the monitors shut down, leaving him with snow and static.

Rick switched over to another channel (standard procedures) in attempts to regain the data stream. It appeared to work as Lisa briefly reappeared over the tac-net, saying something about interference and going to laser induction. Since Rick could just barely pick out what was said, he went to another channel.

And what did he see? Sally Forrester walking down the runway. He'd lucked out and picked up the Miss Macross Pageant. He thanked whoever he could for allowing broadcast transmissions to float into space.

Lisa momentarily cut into the broadcast to tell him to switch over to channel D-3. He paid her no mind. Hilary Rockwell walked down the runway when the transmission phased back in. That meant one thing to Rick.

Minmei was next.

And sure enough, Hilary Rockwell turned left at the end of her walk, and there was Minmei, appearing immediately on camera. She wore a one piece, teal swimsuit and had her hair down. She definitely didn't look like a girl who was just a few months younger than him.

Just watching her gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling. A feeling that was transmitted through the "thinking cap," and in turn to the Battloid. If anyone had been out there with him, they would have sworn the Battloid was actually dancing.

However no sooner had Minmei started her walk that the threat alarm sounded. A barrage of missiles were headed in his direction. He had no clue from where they came.

Quickly, he forgot about the action on the screen. He turned his focus onto the missiles coming at him. Immediately he let loose a barrage of his own. Some of them destroyed the incoming missiles, while the others caused missile fratricide.

The first thing Rick did once he was out of danger was find whoever fired on him. Soon the Battloid's radar picked out the only other craft in the area. The onboard computer quickly went through its database and identified the craft.

It displayed to Rick: Recon vessel-Cyclops type.

* * *

On the stage of the Star Bowl, Minmei fell down, having broken the heal of one of her shoes. Coincidentally, it happened at the same instant Rick was attacked.

Watching with her mom, Ranma instantly stood out of her seat and was on her way to Minmei's aid. Well, that's if it wasn't for Nodoka's quick action of grabbing hold of Ranma's wrist. If not that, she would have been on the stage. Ranma might be the strongest guy on the ship, but she was considerably weaker in her present form.

Nodoka knew that there was nothing Ranma could do but embarrass herself if she went out onto the stage. Also she didn't want to embarrass the competitors since she believed her daughter was the most beautiful girl on the ship.

* * *

Elsewhere in space, the three Zentraedi warriors watched with concern. The Micronian female had fallen no sooner than they released their missiles upon the Micronian craft. None of them understood why they felt concern for this Micronian female. They didn't even know they had concern.

However they didn't stay that way for long. Alarms went off, bringing them back to the task at hand. They quickly scrambled back to their stations and pulled their helmets back on.

"What is it?" asked Rico.

"It appears to be the Micronian craft we fired upon," replied Konda.

"Open fire," ordered Rico.

The Cyclops let loose a score of missiles and opened up its own laser barrage.

Rick, rather upset at being caught unaware, expertly evaded the missiles and laser, and in return, he fired upon the Cyclops vessel. For all the added protection the armor provided to Rick, he found that it was cutting into his reaction time. So he blew the armored sections off and dove towards the Cyclops with greater speed than before.

Rico saw this development and knew they were in trouble. They had run out of missiles, and the laser fire proved ineffective. There was one thing he could do, destroy the ship. Thus Rico set the ship on self-destruction and ordered Konda and Bron to the escape pod.

They left the cabin none too soon. Just as they left their stations, Rick came ripping through the forward portion. The cabin immediately depressurized, allowing the wreckage Rick'd just caused to float around him. He saw a door closing in front of him and immediately knew that's where he needed to go. But he was stopped by the appearance of Jan Morris, who was walking down the runway-last contestant in the swimsuit portion of the competition.

The first thing that came to his mind was, W_hy the hell were they out here watching the pageant_?

That was the last cognizant thought Rick had for awhile. As he watched Jan Morris answer the judges' question, the Cyclops self-destructed. He was lucky that his life didn't end with the life of the Cyclops. Instead the Battloid was thrown from the craft, seriously damaged, and Rick was left unconscious.

* * *

The pageant had made it to the final round. Thanks to the judges, the contestants were down to the final five, which they currently had seated on stage. Minmei was one of the five and couldn't simply believe the events happening around her. She thought the fall she had during the swimsuit portion would have surely eliminated her. That's exactly what she relayed when the announcer came around to ask her how she felt about being one of the finalists.

Of course, her idol, Jan Morris, made it into the final round. Minmei already knew she was the winner. Besides who would pick a sixteen year old schoolgirl over a _bona fide _Hollywood actress?

On in the crowd, Max and Ben were amazed themselves that Minmei had made it this far.

"Boy, I would have never thought the lieutenant's sister was this good of a contestant," stated Max. Then tilting his head in Ben's direction, he asked, "Do you think she's going to win?"

"She never had a chance," can a reply. But it didn't come from Ben. The two ensigns looked in the direction of the voice and found Roy Fokker sitting next to Ben. He had made his way from the top during one of the intermissions and took the first available seat. It just happened to next to his nephew's young charges.

"Whaddaya mean by that, sir?" Ben asked.

"This thing's clearly a publicity stunt put on by Jan Morris's people to put Jan into the hearts and minds of the citizens of Macross."

"Well, Minmei still has a chance to win," Max said coming to Minmei's defense. "The people get to choose the winner."

"Whoa there. Though I know what the outcome is going to be, that's not going to stop me from voting for my nephew's 'little sister.'"

Offhandedly, Ben said, "Boy, I bet the lieutenant wishes he was here. Both of them. I would have never figured Lieutenant Hunter to miss this too."

Roy had thought the same thing about Rick. Apparently what had him leaving in a cab was really important. He knew Ranma was there. He saw her with his sister.

About this time, the announcer returned, as apparently the commercial break was over. "All right, ladies and gentlemen. It's that time we've all been waiting for. It's time for you, the audience, to choose who will be Miss Macross. For those in those in attendance, pick up the controllers in front of you and press the corresponding button. For those at home, just dial the number for which ever of the contestants you want."

For the next few moments, the only thing that could be heard was the mumbling of the audience. In an audience of 30,000, it could be safe to say that Minmei was guaranteed to get of the votes of Ranma, Nodoka, Lena, Max, Roy, Max and Ben.

After awhile the early tallies started appearing behind the girls. Naturally the early lead was with Jan Morris. The one person in the crowd that was worried was the mayor, Tommy Luan. If things didn't turn soon, his visions of what Lynn Minmei could do for the city would go up in smoke. Fortunately Minmei's tally quickly started to grow.

The voting lasted for about another minute, while the tallying lasted another two after that. In the last minute, the tot board went blank so the audiences wouldn't know the true winner. Soon the announcer came back on the stage with a slip of paper in his hands. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, here in my hand is the final result." He waved the paper in the air.

In pageants before the Global Civil War, announcers would provide a build up to the announcing of who the winner was. But for this pageant, that would have been quite useless since the audience already pretty much knew who the winners weren't. "And the winner of the first annual Miss Macross Pageant is..."

There was a slight pause for drama. Jan Morris was pretty much out of her seat, knowing that the competition was far too inferior for her not to be the winner.

"Lynn Minmei."

All five finalists were shocked to hear the winner. None of them were as shocked as Jan Morris and Minmei. Minmei immediately thought she was in a dream as they put a regal robe around her, a crown on her head, and gave her a bouquet of roses.

Minmei got out of her chair and took a victory walk down the runway. She looked out into the audience, and the only person she saw was her big brother, er, sister. She could tell that Ranma was the happiest person on the ship for her accomplishment. She quite literally stood above everybody in the crowd. Minmei figured she was standing on the chair since Ranma was shorter than her. It was hard for her to stand over people.

Minmei didn't care. All she saw was the pride that beamed from Ranma. She was sure that same pride was beaming from everyone else in her family.

* * *

Out in space, Rick's wrecked Battloid floated amongst the debris of the Cyclops. It had been a half hour since it self-destructed. It had taken this long for Lisa to order a search and rescue team out to him. Since they had been such a hard time communicating with him, Lisa had no clue that there might be something wrong with Rick, after Vanessa announced that the Cyclops unit had just blown up.

Rick laid unconscious with the Miss Macross Pageant on his monitors. Just as they announced the result, he started regaining consciousness and heard Minmei's name as the winner. At first he thought he was dreaming. However when his eyes opened, he was presented with the scene of Minmei in her robe, crown, and sash, holding a bouquet of red roses. His first thought was Minmei was now lost to him. For some reason, he sensed she was going to be owned by the citizens of Macross. Though they would have to go through Ranma and Nodoka (who had all but adopted her as her daughter).

There was no way he would get a date now. She was starting to achieve her dreams, and Rick knew that often meant that you had to leave those you cared about behind as you star grew.

At least that's how it was in all those old movies.

* * *

Author's notes:

Roy is going to have to know about Ranma's curse. As far as Ranma's curse is concern, I'm using the light show in Chapter 3 as a way to hide it. He will still have it, but it will be activated by certain people, and only a certain people will ever find out about it throughout the course of the story. (First one to be, Rick but I don't know when.)

Also after this chapter I'm going to try to incorporate more of the actual Super Dimensional Fortress Macross than just the ages of the Macross characters. The most obvious thing will be the use of only the Minmei songs from the original series.


	9. Caught revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 9: Caught

* * *

January 17

Ranma knew this date all too well, but today meant just a little more than all of the other January Seventeenths. January 17, 2010, the great Ranma Saotome turned 18. Much like his other birthdays, no one was around to celebrate it. Well, he couldn't remember the ones before the training trip. At least he got to celebrate his seventeenth with his mom, the Tendo girls, and Ukyo.

Unlike last year, his mother was now busy. With the number of students in the Macross School System wanting to continue their education, they finally reopened the college. When word got out that Professor Nodoka Saotome was onboard the SDF-1, they quickly asked if she wanted to be a member of the faculty. At first Nodoka refused them, saying that she wanted to finish teaching her son who was a pilot for the RDF. But the president was rather insistent on having one of the best professors in the world teach at his college. They came back, saying they were willing to work around her son's schedule, and they'd allow her to teach any subject she wanted.

She still wasn't agreeing. She enjoyed the time away from teaching. Eventually she agreed to an arrangement. What it meant to Ranma, he no longer had his schooling at the White Dragon. Instead it was in her office and sometimes with her class, where it finally proved he was being taught at a college level.

As for Minmei, it had over a month since she was crowned Miss Macross. She was busy as busy could be or at least as busy as Lena and Nodoka would allow her. Today she was with her voice trainer. He had informed Minmei that they wanted her to put out an album. So they needed her voice to be the best it could. As far as Ranma was concerned she didn't need a voice trainer. He already knew Minmei had one of the most beautiful voices he had ever heard.

The Lynns were just too busy with the restaurant. Granted that's probably where he'll celebrate by himself later.

He had scheduled his birthday off, but his squadron was still on duty. He had confidence in Rick would do okay with it. Rick was just as good as a fighter as he was, and he was surely a better pilot. He did pretty well when placed in command, especially during that episode where he was stuck as a girl for a week.

He figured command would give Rick his own command anytime now. It didn't seem that the RDF wanted to waste a prefect officer, especially with the turnover in pilots and how often commanding officers were lost. He knew this from experience. The day after he got unstuck as a girl, Ranma was given command of Vermilion Squadron, as the previous squadron commander was killed on that day's battle.

Thinking about his squadron, he was starting to wonder if he would ever receive any new pilots. Squadrons were getting replacement ensigns on a monthly basis. And the Vermilion Squadron had been one of the more renowned squadrons before it was nearly wiped out.

The last person of any concern was Roy Fokker, and he didn't know where his uncle was. But he was the CAG, so it wasn't Ranma's business to know where Roy was.

Ranma was headed towards the White Dragon. Usually at this time of day whenever he wasn't on duty, he was in the gym enhancing the techniques and moves to his school. However his mother wanted an extra long session before classes started. He didn't mind now that they were both busy.

As he got closer to the restaurant, he felt something wasn't right. At least it didn't appear right to him. The normal person wouldn't notice something different. For Ranma, on the other hand, it felt like there was less traffic in the area. However he didn't feel that there was imminent danger in the area, so he progressed at a normal pace.

It wasn't until he arrived at the White Dragon that he finally knew something was up. There was a sign on the door saying that they were closed for the afternoon. That was an odd predicament since it was still the lunch hour, and the White Dragon was the most popular spot amongst the pilots.

He stepped inside the building, which was virtually deserted.

"Mom," Ranma said with concern. There was no response, so naturally he thought she hadn't made it back from her office just yet.

_But why aren't Aunt Lena and Uncle Max here?_ he asked himself. It made him wonder if there was something going on at Jason's school.

Figuring this was a mystery that needed to be solved, Ranma went to his mother's room to drop off his books. Maybe this was another exercise of his mother to learn to more effectively use the analytical portion of his brain (the portion Nodoka believed Genma didn't allow to fully develop).

When he came back down, he was shocked to see the place suddenly full of people all screaming, "Surprise!" He was definitely surprised to see all of the people he has met since coming onboard the SDF-1. The first person to come up to him was his mother. "Happy Birthday, dear," she said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Minmei followed, giving him a kiss on the other cheek.

Off to the side he saw Rick and the others. They came up to him and wished him a happy birthday.

"What are you guys doin' here?" he asked. "Aren't cha on duty?"

They didn't have time to respond as Roy and Lynn Max came into the restaurant with a birthday cake big enough for everyone there. As it turned out, none of the people that Ranma thought would be too busy for his birthday were. Nodoka had set things up to surprise her son on his eighteenth birthday, guessing he'd never had a surprise party.

And surprised Ranma definitely was. Once he shook it off, the party got into full swing. Things were quite festive until Claudia walked into the restaurant. She was there by a request of Roy and Nodoka, who already considered her family. That wasn't bad because Ranma liked Claudia.

However she brought Lisa Hayes. Things were still very combative with the two. At one point, Ranma tried to make the situation less so, but as with Akane, every attempt to do something kind was met with the unexpected result. More so once he became a squadron commander. So he just flat out stopped trying.

Lisa was surprised to find out that she and Claudia were making a stop at Ranma's birthday party. It was her day off, and she grateful to get out of her uniform and spend some time with best friend, Claudia, away from work. At the last minute, Claudia said she wanted to make a stop.

So there they were, at the White Dragon during a party for Ranma Saotome. The second she realized that, she decided to stay by the door. Claudia went in and over to the Ranma's table to wish him happy birthday. She even had a gift for him. And if wasn't a small one either. As to how Lisa could have missed it was beyond her.

Most of her was just fine where she was. Lieutenant Saotome wasn't one of her favorite people. However there was an attraction to the muscular martial artist pilot. Ever since that time in the gym, her mind would wander and remember how his body moved almost effortlessly. Yet consciously she didn't want to admit it. Her heart belonged to one man, and that man was dead.

"You know, you should go and wish him a happy birthday," said a female's voice. It startled Lisa, as she hadn't noticed anyone walking towards her. She looked to her side as saw that it was Nodoka Saotome.

Nodoka had seen Lisa standing at the door and felt she should greet the lieutenant commander. She may not have liked it when Lisa hit her son for the slightest of reasons (almost like a certain girl on Earth), but she admired her fiery spirit.

"Ah, no thanks, ma'am," Lisa replied. "Your son and I aren't on the best of terms."

"With just a little effort, maybe you can be on better terms. It's not as if my son will be perpetually angry at you."

Lisa could instantly tell that she wasn't going to get out of this. So she relented.

Ranma watched as Lisa made her way over to the table, followed by his mother. Figuring that it was his mom's wish for Lisa to come over, he was going to try and be civil to the lieutenant commander.

"Happy Birthday, Lieutenant Saotome," Lisa said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Hayes," Ranma said in response, keeping it formal. "And thanks for coming."

_That went well_, thought Nodoka.

* * *

Two weeks later, Breetai was still going over the tapes from the debriefing of the recon crew that recorded the transmission from Zor's ship. It had been months since that took place, and he had not been able to explain the reaction of the crew as they explained what they saw. Not even Exedore could explain why the crew reacted the way they did.

They had even started a fight right in front of Breetai and Exedore. Of course the both of them knew of the incident that caused it. Even though the feed from the flagship was fuzzy and at times hard to make out, Breetai and Exedore did review what they had gathered and understood that the crew fought over what those female Micronians were wearing.

There was a tone at his door. He told whoever it was to enter, and in came Exedore. "M'lord, I was thinking perhaps we could better understand the Micronians if we captured some to study."

Breetai had thought about that once but ended those thoughts every time he thought about the warning Exedore had mentioned.

"I'd much prefer that we make the Micronians surrender the battle fortress and be done with them," replied Breetai.

"Well, we just might be about to do that also," came back Exedore. "Since we've started pushing them off course and away from their home planet, we might be able to persuade them to surrender, seeing that there is no hope of them ever making it there."

Breetai thought that was an excellent idea. And he knew just how to do it.

* * *

Ever since leaving Mars, the SDF-1 had made no progress towards getting home. In fact, they were being forced backwards. They were now near the Mars side of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. In a recent move, Captain Gloval decided to break his radio silence and send a message to Earth Headquarters (more like the Zentraedi allowed it to go through). The news he received in return wasn't to his liking, as Earth wanted them to hold course and not return to Earth. The authorities came to the realization the aliens were more concerned about the SDF-1 than the planet.

Fortunately for them, the SDF-1 was pushed further away from Earth.

Presently there was a battle raging. Recently engagements were few and far between, unlike when they left Mars, when the Zentraedi seemed to attack every other day (mostly Khyron's unit). In one sector fought Ranma's Vermilion Squadron. It was one of the three there, along with Skull and Blue. The three had proven themselves as the most battle weary units with the turnover of the fighter wing.

It made no difference to Ranma. He just went about his business: See Battlepod, destroy Battlepod. That was how he directed Vermilion Squadron to react in battle. It didn't take the verbose Ben Dixon long to take to this strategy. Well at least once Rick got him to stop wasting his ammunition.

During a lull in the action, Ranma looked over to his right where Ben was about two o'clock high. He spotted what looked like fluid escaping from underneath his cockpit. With Veritech being fueled by nuclear power, it definitely wasn't a fuel leak, but it seemed to flow in a steady stream. The most obvious thing it could be was hydraulic fluid.

"Say, Ben, what are your gauges saying?"

It was a second before Ben appeared over the tac-net. "They all read normal, lieutenant."

"Well, you're leaking fluid, most likely your hydraulics. So we're going in." Then he switched over to Rick. "Rick, you take command of the squad. I'm going to take Ben back to the SDF-1."

Lisa appeared on Ranma's tac-net before he could get a reply from Rick. "Lieutenant Saotome, you will do no such thing."

"Listen, commander, one of my men is leaking fluid," Ranma said.

He was about to say more when Ben appeared on the opposite screen. "Look, lieutenant, I'll be okay."

"No, Ben, it's not okay. See here, Commander Hayes, maybe you've forgotten some lessons from the academy, but there is no atmosphere out here. One little crack in the right place could be certain doom for us pilots. But maybe you don't think about it from your safe position on the bridge."

"What nerve do you have…" Lisa started to say but was cut off by Roy.

He stated that Ranma was right on this occasion. Then he ordered the entire squadron back to the SDF-1. Just before he got off, he reprimanded Ranma, telling him he was out of line for speaking to Lisa like that.

Though Ranma didn't want to, he held his tongue.

* * *

The next day was Groundhog's Day. Ranma didn't understand the significance of the day, but there were people onboard who looked forward to celebrating it. One thing he knew, the date that he and his mother came to Macross Island was quickly approaching.

He was headed over to his new mother's place. Initially it surprised him when she told him of her move from the White Dragon. Once she explained why, it made sense because it was for Minmei. With her being Miss Macross and her upcoming singing debut (along with an album release), Minmei was pretty much forced to move out. The crowds were becoming too unbearable to those working since most of the patrons were there trying to catch a glimpse of Minmei.

Hearing the plight of the most respected restaurant on the ship, officials made it so Minmei could have her own place. Unfortunately there was no way they would allow a sixteen year old girl to live by herself unsupervised. Thus they needed an adult to live with her. Knowing that she claimed Lieutenant Saotome as a relative, they asked Nodoka to live with her since she was Ranma's mother. (Simple geometry, A=B and B=C, so A=C)

Nodoka was a bit reluctant to leave the White Dragon. However a couple of "Please, mom" was all that it took for her to move.

Ranma stood in front the Hotel Continental, most luxurious hotel in Macross. He was actually embarrassed that his family now lived there, but what could he say? This would be the first time he'd been there since the move. Other times he met with his mother at the university. However it was her day off.

He never got the chance to step inside. The doors opened, and Minmei walked out. "Ranma! Just who I wanted to see."

"And nice to see you too, squirt," Ranma replied.

The squirt comment elicited the normal response, an angry Minmei. Ranma didn't really call her that anymore, as it stemmed from the first time they met. Minmei was so much smaller than Ranma when she started following him around and acting like a little sister. So Ranma gave her the little sibling nickname.

"Anyway, I want you to come sing with me."

"W-What?" Ranma was caught off guard.

"Yeah, we're finishing up on the recording of my first album. And I want to do a couple over covers. And your female voice compliments mine perfectly."

"B-But I came here to see mom."

"Oh, don't worry. She's at the restaurant right now."

"But..."

"No buts. Come now." And with that, Minmei started dragging Ranma towards the recording studio.

* * *

Out in the Zentraedi fleet, more exactly the section of the blockade where the Seventh Mechanized Division of Botoru Battalion was positioned, something was going on. On Khyron's flagship, Grel (Khyron's new second in commander) was making his way to Khyron's room. New orders had come down from Breetai, so he was on his way to inform his commander.

Grel only carried the information because neither Breetai nor Khyron would talk to each other since Khyron took things into his own hands and was recalled by Breetai.

Khyron received Grel in his room. Khyron ingested a dried leaf of the Flower of Life as he took in the information. Grel was well aware of Khyron's addiction (as was most on the flagship) but wasn't about to say anything, choosing to die in battle than at the hands of Khyron.

"So they've changed course again, and Breetai wants to keep them where they are."

"Yes, commander."

"And Breetai believes that by firing warning shots, it will help bring along their surrender. Considering it would show that they can't possibly make it through our blockade?"

Grel gave another affirmative answer.

Khyron thought about his next course of action. Why was he to fire a warning shot when they should just go for the kill? It wasn't like anyone with intelligence knew that they easily overpowered the Micronians, and yet they live to fight another day.

He looked over his situational map and came up with a plan. "Say, Grel, what if we make the Micronians fight blindfolded."

Grel was confused as to what he meant. Khyron explained that he was talking about taking out the Micronians' radar.

"But our orders…"

"To hell with our orders! I'm not afraid of Breetai." With that statement, Khyron went on to explain his idea. How one of his ships would fire at a point further away from the rest. If it just happens to score a direct hit around the radar tower, so be it. Now all he needed was a scapegoat to take the shot.

* * *

Rick sat on a bench in the park and waited for Minmei. It was the first opportunity that the two had to see each other since Ranma's birthday party. During that time, he was sort of started dating Kim Young, though he thought of their relationship as more friends with benefits. Kim knew most of his heart was committed to Minmei. She just liked the fact she had something neither Vanessa nor Sammie had, a guy friend. So she kept hanging out with him and would keep doing so as long as Rick wasn't using her to get at Minmei.

That's beside the point. If he wanted to get into Minmei's new world, he needed to find time for the two to spend together. This was to be one of those times. Unfortunately, he was supposed to have met up with Minmei a half hour ago. He knew that she had some work to do at the recording studio, but she had said she would be done by now. He just hoped this wasn't going to be wasted afternoon.

As he sat, he looked over to his right and saw a couple spending a romantic afternoon in the park. He wondered if he could have that. Granted he could've had it if he had gotten past that "just friends" comment the day after they were rescued or just pursued this thing with Kim more seriously. It wasn't like he wasn't the envy of all the pilots Kim wouldn't give the time of day.

So it was to no surprise to him that the minute he was thinking of her, Kim walked up to him with her two friends, Sammie and Vanessa. "Hiya, Rick," she said.

"Oh. hey, Kim," he replied.

"Whacha do in the park by yourself, Lt. Hunter?" asked Sammie. She and Vanessa weren't exactly on a first name basis like Kim. "Waiting on someone?"

"You could say that."

Sammie kept on questioning him. She wanted to know if he was waiting for girl. If so, was she pretty? If so was she as pretty as them? All the while, Rick refused to answer, feeling it was none of their business, but he had a feeling Kim knew who he was waiting on. In fact she did know.

Fortunately Rick was saved by another device from the Robotech research labs. As he was questioned by Sammie, a yellow motorized device rolled up into the park asking for Lieutenant Rick Hunter. It rolled right passed the four as it went over to the couple on the next bench.

Quickly Rick got his attention, and it rolled back over to his bench.

"Phone call for Lt. Rick Hunter," the device, a motorized phone, said.

"I'll take it," Rick replied.

Feeling it was inappropriate for them to stay around, Vanessa motioned the girls away. Kim was okay with it, feeling she knew who it might be.

Rick picked up the receiver, and instantly Minmei was on the video screen.

"You know, Rick. You really should carry your cell phone. I've been trying to get in touch with you for the past five minutes."

"Yeah, yeah. So what's up?"

"Um, well you see, um, me and Ranko are trying to record this song, and I keep messing up my part. Do you we could meet later on tonight?"

"Ahh, sure. How about eight?"

In the background, Rick could hear a girl's voice, Ranko's if he remember correctly, tell Minmei that they were ready to proceed.

"That's great. I gotta go. See ya!" And with that, the transmission ended.

Even though Vanessa wanted them to move on about their business, curiosity had gotten the better of both her and Sammie. They snuck behind Rick while he talked and was surprised to see him talking to Miss Macross. They could now understand why Kim was seemingly getting nowhere with Lt. Hunter. She was competing with Miss Macross.

"Say, Rick. Um, now that you're not busy, ya wanna join us?" Kim asked, guessing his plans had changed. "We're going to play some putt-putt."

"Sure, why not," Rick replied, sounding disinterested. It wasn't about Kim. Hell, he'd always had a great time with his "friend," though this would be the first time the other two "bridge bunnies" would join them. No, it was the fact he had been stood up, once again, by Minmei.

* * *

"All ships, prepare to open fire," Breetai ordered from his command bubble.

Ships along the starboard side of the SDF-1 all opened up their gun ports. In a short time, all those guns were aimed to streak across its bow. Once everything was all set, the order to fire was given.

* * *

On the bridge of the SDF-1, the tech sitting at Vanessa's station relayed to Gloval about a disturbance coming from the asteroid belt. Lisa was in the process of confirming that when the first bolts of laser streaked across the bow of the ship.

That was when total chaos broke loose. The vibrations from what seemed like steady streams of laser fire were reminiscent of the first battle after leaving Pluto's orbit, but it was ten times worst. Not only did it knock Lisa into her instrument panel, everybody was thrown into their station. As Gloval got himself back into his seat, he placed the barrier system on standby.

Down within the ship, it was like an earthquake struck the city. Building swayed to and fro. Billboards fell from the sky. Cars ran into posts.

In the park, Rick fell into the fountain located by the bench. Kim and Sammie soon joined him as they tried to help him out. Vanessa was already on her way back to the bridge.

At the recording studio, Minmei grabbed onto a female Ranma as instruments fell from their stands, and microphones swayed on the ceiling.

At the White Dragon, Nodoka was near hysterics. She thought she'd improved after all these months. She was lucky that Lena and Max were there to provide her some support.

Back on the bridge, Lisa had been able to stabilize herself. She went about her business, making sure the various systems were operating normally. Then the radar linked to her station picked up movement among the Zentraedi fleet.

One ship seemed to move clear from the others. It was most obvious that it was about to fire. Quickly she tasked her computer to calculate possible targeting locations, hoping it would fire in the same manner as the others. When it did, its beam seemed to be more intense. Worst of all, it was heading for the forecastle. Lisa screamed out a warning, and Gloval ordered the pin point barrier into position.

When the three circles converged onto the forecastle, everything appeared to be all right when the beam was stopped. However the intensity of the beam soon started to overtake the system. The barrier system tried so hard to hold together, but energy from the beam overloaded it. After about a minute, the barrier system finally collapsed. Fortunately it dissipated most the beam's energy. The key word was most, for the rest punched a hole through the forecastle as it was intended.

Just as Khyron wanted, the radar room was destroyed, killing all hands.

The odd thing, the firing stopped after the beam went through the ship.

* * *

Breetai watched a random face from Khyron's battalion take responsibility for striking the ship.

_What does he take I for?_ Breetai questioned. He knew Khyron did it on purpose. He was sure Exedore realized that it was done on purpose, too.

"What he did, m'lord, was deplorable. But I think we could still use this to our advantage," stated Exedore about a minute after the "scapegoat" was off the projecbeam.

"Oh! How so."

Exedore went about telling him his quickly revised plan. They would still send out their message for surrender. He believed the Micronians would reject such request. With all of the debris surrounding the Micronians and with their radar down, they were going to have to send out a reconnaissance vessel to act as their long range radar. Then they would lead the Micronian craft into a trap. With capture Micronians onboard, they would interrogate the Micronians about the Protoculture Matrix.

* * *

Immediately after the trembling stopped, Ranma took off for the White Dragon, grabbing a cup of hot water as she left. Minmei followed as closely as she could, which wasn't really close at all. She was lucky to know where he was going.

Back in the park, Kim and Sammie pulled themselves out of the fountain. Their clothes were wet with Sammie worst off than Kim since she wore a long skirt, which now clung to her legs.

Rick, on the other hand, had yet to get out of the fountain. Something just wasn't right. Pain was shooting up and down his body. He tried to ignore the pain and get out of the fountain. Once he was on his two feet, he knew what causing the pain an let everyone else know he was in pain letting out a blood curdling scream while falling back into the fountain.

Kim was back in the water and by his side. "What's wrong, Rick?"

Rick stated that he thought his right ankle was broken. Kim wanted to see if his foot was all right. So she gingerly took it out of the water. Luckily the foot wasn't bend at an odd angle, so there was some hope that it was all right. Rick was going to need the ankle x-rayed. However neither Kim nor Sammie were going to get him out of the fountain.

"Sammie, we're going to need help getting him out," she said.

"Okay. Okay. Though you know, we should be getting back to the bridge," stated Sammie.

"I know. I know, but we just can't leave one of our pilots in the fountain. And he's in obvious pain."

Sammie went off to find something or someone to help get Rick out of the fountain. As she left, she mumbled something about Kim, duty, and her stupid boyfriend. Fortunately neither of the two heard her.

* * *

On the bridge, the girls were accessing the damage. Debris from asteroids hit during the barrage littered space surrounding the SDF-1.

Lisa was conversing with Claudia when she momentarily glanced out into space. Something caught her eye. Something that looked like a Battloid, but there shouldn't have been any Veritechs out at that time. It just floated there, lifeless. As she shifted her attention from Claudia to the Battloid, it appeared to be a standard VF-1A. She could also tell that its head was blown off, exposing the pilot to the vacuum of space.

The next thing she realized, though she wasn't sure if her brain was playing tricks with her, the pilot had the same color-schemed flight suit as Lt. Saotome. She let out a silent gasp because the white/forest green flight suit was quite unique within the RDF. Ranma was probably the only pilot she knew who wore it presently.

Suddenly she remembered what he had said the other day. Maybe she was too sheltered on the bridge. One thing she knew, she hoped it wasn't Lt. Saotome out there. Why she had some concern over his life after all of the insults was beyond her.

"Lisa, are you all right?" Claudia asked, bring Lisa back to reality.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"That's good because you seemed a little out of it for the past two minutes," Claudia whispered in response.

"Okay, tell me what's on the radar?" Gloval suddenly asked. He was hoping the alien weren't planning another attack.

About that time, the door to the bridge opened, presenting a wet Sammie. She had found a guy to help get Lt. Hunter to the hospital. Then she went on ahead of Kim and back to the bridge, though she neglected to change into her uniform. So had Vanessa, who had returned sooner, but Gloval seemingly didn't mind, for he understood the situation.

"Everything's clear on the short range," Lisa reported.

"I've got nothing on the long range," Vanessa added.

"That's good," stated Gloval.

"No, sir. I mean there is nothing coming over the radar. It's like it's dead," Vanessa explained.

Gloval was silent as he tried to think as to what was the matter. He could still hear departments reporting in their damages in the background. "Any reports from the radar room?" he asked.

"Radar hasn't reported in yet, sir," Claudia answered.

_This is bad_, thought Gloval. He instantly had a feeling as to where the beam hit. "Get somebody down to Radar," he ordered.

Right about then, Sammie started receiving to this strange coded message on her station. She turned to the tech manning Kim station and mentioned it to her. It was as though she had forgotten that Kim was still down in Macross City.

"Do you think it could be from headquarters?" the tech asked.

"I don't think so," replied Sammie. She then stood from her station and got Captain Gloval's attention.

"Okay, play the message, Sammie."

"In the name of the Zentraedi forces, I order you to surrender. The last attack on your ship was a warning of what we will do. You cannot escape. If you wish to save the lives of your crew, you must surrender at once."

The Zentraedi had just sent them a message.

"Oh, my god!" exclaimed Claudia. "It's the aliens!"

The message proceeded to repeat itself. However Gloval didn't want to hear it a second time. So he had Sammie cut off the transmission. Now they had the name of the alien race they were fighting: The Zentraedi.

Just as quick as the order to get someone up to the radar room, a report came back. There **was** no radar room. The beam punched a hole right through it. Luckily bulkheads had come down, saving what little atmosphere hadn't escaped. But there was no one left alive.

Then they estimated that they could have a minimum amount of the section repaired in ten hours. That wasn't good. They were effectively blind for more than ten hours.

"Okay, I want a Cat's Eye deployed," Gloval said. "Hopefully with all the debris, the Zentraedi will be dissuaded from attacking."

Lisa saw this as her opportunity to prove Ranma wrong. She could handle any situation, and she didn't need the security of the bridge.

"Sir, I would like to volunteer to take that mission," she said.

Gloval had to think about it. He remembered the last time she left the bridge, back on Mars. Then he had to think that it might be a good thing to have an experienced officer as part of the two man Cat's Eye crew.

"Okay," he responded. But this time he was going to have an escort for her.

* * *

Early the next day, unnoticed by the SDF-1, the Zentraedi initiated the second part of their new plan. A small task force left from Breetai's flagship. It made its way into the asteroid field and took positions in hopes of leading any Micronian force towards the flagship.

* * *

Two hours after the Zentraedi set up position, a force of four planes flew into the asteroid from the deck of the _Prometheus_: a Cat's Eye reconnaissance vessel and three Veritechs. Just as she asked, Lisa was aboard the Cat's Eye. However she felt a bit unlucky with the selection of her escort, for the Vermilion Squadron got tagged for escort duty.

It wasn't until they formed up on the Cat's Eye that Ranma found out Lisa was a part of this mission. _Oh, great!_ was the first thought that went through his mind. He wanted to tell her that she shouldn't be here.

However he was in no mood to argue today as Ranma wasn't happy at the moment. He was forced to lead this patrol as Rick was injured from the last attack. Ranma had gotten the news from Minmei, who saw Rick for dinner, late last night before he got word from either Rick or the medical staff. It was a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which meant Rick was removed from flight status until the ligaments healed.

"Sir, how long did they say Lieutenant Hunter would be out?" asked Max.

Ranma was thankful someone decided to talk to him. They had been out for about an hour, and escort duty was proving to be even more boring than a patrol. "They're saying a couple of weeks, Max. But we should be able to handle this, just the three of us."

"Boy, the lieutenant's lucky to be on the ship," Ben interjected, appearing on the opposite screens of Ranma and Max.

The next statement was left unsaid, for they all had the same thought.

"_Boy, this mission's boring!"_

The three looked at each other and could tell that they were thinking of it. At that, they started laughing. It wasn't the first time something like this happened. There was often spontaneous laughter amongst them during patrols. It kept them loose. At least that's what Ranma thought.

Unfortunately it wouldn't last long. "Lieutenant Saotome, I'd appreciate if you and you men could reframe from laughing," Lisa said appearing on Ranma's center monitor.

"Yes, Commander Hayes," Ranma replied with sarcasm. Their laughter wasn't hurting anything, and it wasn't like they were told that this was a silent patrol.

Ranma's tone went through the tac-net clearly to Lisa. "Lieutenant Saotome, do you have a problem with that?"

"Why, no, Commander..."

That's all Ranma got out. The co-pilot of the Cat's Eye informed Lisa of movement nearby them. Lisa relayed that info to Ranma.

Ranma was grateful for the news. Eager for something other than escorting, he ordered Ben to stay behind with the Cat's Eye while he and Max did away with any Zentraedi in the area.

He left Ben for a reason. It wasn't that he was not confident in Ben's abilities. He was a proven fighter. It was just he was tired with the constant watching of Ben's back. Of the four of them, he was the one that got shot down the most. With it being close quarters, he could not spend time looking after one of his pilots.

Besides he couldn't leave the Cat's Eye unescorted. Unfortunately Lisa didn't see it the same way. How could she prove to Ranma she could handle herself out here in space? So while Ranma and Max dealt with the Zentraedi, she ordered Ben to join them. Initially Ben was hesitant, but there was nothing he could do. Ben had to obey the order. Lisa was one of Ranma's superiors.

So he went off to join the action. When he arrived, there wasn't much left for him. That's what happens when you have two aces in your squadron that could take on an entire squad themselves.

"Ben, what are you doing here?" Ranma asked as soon as he noticed that Ben was with them.

"Commander Hayes told me to join you," replied Ben.

"Stupid tomboy," Ranma mumbled under his breath, as his broke off from the fighting and headed for the Cat's Eye. "She's being as stubborn as Akane."

Lisa, for her part, had maneuvered the Cat's Eye further into the field. Unknown to her (or her co-pilot), she flew her way into a Zentraedi trap, even without the help of the Battlepods. It wasn't that Lisa gave any thoughts of there being a trap. She wanted to prove she didn't need to be on the bridge to do her job. However she thought of the bridge and the girls when the co-pilot informed her of the Zentraedi craft on their tail.

The co-pilot, being a more experienced pilot, took control and went into evasive maneuvers as they tried to reach the cover of their escort since the Cat's Eye had no weaponry because its primary mission was reconnaissance.

When they eventually collided with an asteroid, Lisa's mind went all the way back to Saturn and the way she got on Ranma. Somehow the collision didn't destroy the Cat's Eye, which was fortunate for Lisa. Unfortunately she was knocked unconscious.

However it was fortunate for the Zentraedi. Now all they had to do was grab the craft since it was no longer moving and carry it back to the flagship.

Off in the distance, Ranma watched the whole thing happen. Unfortunately he was so far away that he could get there fast enough to take out the pods. "Commander Hayes, are you all right?" he called out, hoping that she was still alive and able to make an escape. It wasn't until the second time that Lisa appeared over the tac-net.

It was obvious she had been unconscious by her woozy appearance. Fortunately she was able to ascertain the situation. Her co-pilot was killed when the asteroid smashed into his canopy. She wouldn't attempt an escape. There were two Battlepods seemingly escorting the Cat's Eye to what appeared to be a ship.

The closer they got, she could clearly make out the green behemoth that was Breetai's flagship Though Lisa didn't know it was the flagship. All she could guestimate was that it was larger than any of the vessels they've encountered so far.

_This is it_, wasthe only thing that went through her mind. She knew they were taking her hostage.

"Ranma, don't follow me," Lisa said as she was about to enter the ship. "Save yourself and your team."

Coming from a military family, Lisa grew up believing a line from an old American movie, _"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." _Unfortunately Ranma didn't follow that philosophy.

"What are we goin' to do, lieutenant?" Ben asked, having rejoined Ranma with Max once the last Pod was destroyed.

There was only one thing Ranma would do. He was going to have to rescue her. It was the story of his life, rescuing a stupid tomboy when she got herself in above her head. So what if this wasn't his tomboy. He wasn't about to make an exception.

"We're going in after her."

The three hit the afterburners to close the distance to the flagship. The closer they got, they could tell that the hatch to the bay the Zentraedi took Lisa was closing. They couldn't go any faster, and on top of that, secondary batteries started firing as they approached. However that didn't deter them, as they made it into the ship with hatch closing shut right behind them.

The three Veritechs flew down a corridor, and at the end of it was a huge hold that would have reminded Ranma of the holds in the SDF-1 that now contained Macross City. As they entered the corridor, they reconfigured into Guardian mode. Ahead of them was a closed hatch. So they let loose a score of missiles and blew the hatch open.

They entered the hold and reconfigured to Battloid, expecting a fire fight. Sure enough, that's what they got. Well at least they had one on their end, for Zentraedi soldiers were too busy trying to get out of the line of fire. Through it all, Ranma took a position that covered the Cat's Eye, which was positioned not far from the opening they created.

The weird thing for the three rescuers was they weren't firing against Battlepods but actual Zentraedi. Initially it was a shock to them. Though they've all seen the x-rays and pictures of the aliens bodies found during the initial investigation of the SDF-1. However seeing that they were as tall as Battloids was another thing.

Soon they got back to their job. Lisa was quick to yell at Ranma for disobeying her orders. Ranma didn't pay attention to her until the last soldier had cleared the area. It was while he was extracting her out of the Cat's Eye that they began another of their infamous arguments, though Ranma was safe from getting hit inside the Battloid.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Breetai was about to surprise them. He was on his way to the bay they placed the Cat's Eye when he received word that Micronians had forced their way into said bay. He took off running, angry at the boldness of the Micronians for entering his ship.

Knowing that was a bad move to enter the bay through the hatch, Breetai went up to the catwalk along the upper level of the bay. He jumped off the catwalk, aiming himself to take out the Micronian craft with the forest green trim.

Unfortunately nobody was going to get the drop on Ranma like that. Kneeling close to the Cat's Eye with Lisa in his hand, he sensed danger coming. Not even bothering to check his monitors for the danger, he brought his other hand to protect Lisa and tumbled forward, crushing the Cat's Eye. Ranma came out of his tuck and roll and spun around to find a Zentraedi soldier with a metal faceplate standing where he just was.

Max used his spent autocannon to keep him at bay. It was obvious that the Zentraedi was stronger than the Battloid so he told Ben to fire his missiles above them. Ben was slow on the trigger but fired two missiles nonetheless. They streaked to the ceiling and detonated. There was an immediate hull breach, and the atmosphere of the bay was sucked out.

Max took advantage of the situation. He fired his foot thrusters and lifted off the deck. Using the momentum gained from his climb and changing environment in the bay, Max threw the Zentraedi out into to space.

And with that, it should have been the end for Breetai. By human standards, without an environmental suit, the lack of atmosphere should have killed him as he drifted through space.

But neither happened. As the blue trimmed Micronian craft let go of him, Breetai caught one of the spines that bristled the hull, but it was too late for him to re-enter through the hole as a bulkhead closed. Then one of the magic of Protoculture took place as the hull seemingly healed itself. The area around the hole just moved back into place, so that it never looked like there was any explosion.

That didn't faze Breetai much. He just proceeded on to the closest air lock, using the spines to keep himself onto the hull.

* * *

Back inside, the three pilots were wondering just how they were going to get out. Part of the consequence of their actions to the rescue of Lisa, none of them had thought of the possibilities of getting out. The only idea the four had was Ranma's idea to use their head lasers to cut into the hull.

"Say, would you like to put me down now?" Lisa asked Ranma. "Or do you like holding pretty girls like me?"

Lisa said that last part in a joking manner, but the way she appeared through her face shield and how she tilted her head onto her hand had Ranma flustered. In typical Ranma fashion, Ranma fumbled his words as he tried to explain why he was still holding Lisa. So instead of continuing that course of action, he complied and placed her on the floor.

"Boy, the lieutenant is sure flustered by Commander Hayes," Max commented to Ben. Max continued on cutting, using his laser as a blowtorch. After a while, his laser started overheating, so Max to switch with Ben.

Ranma was grateful when Max came over the tac-net to inform him of their progress. It allowed him to stop thinking about the look he'd received from Lisa. He shouldn't be thinking about another girl in that manner. It's the reason why he'd had trouble explaining his feelings to Akane.

He had to admit that this time in space really helped him in settling his mind. It helped that he had real positive female contact with Minmei, his mother, and Mrs. Lynn. However that did not take into account the arguments with Commander Hayes. He couldn't explain how she was able to aggravate him so much.

The two ensigns just went about their business, while leaving the two higher ranked officers to their own means. Ben stepped up to take Max's spot and continue the work, and Max swapped into Ben's position, in a guarding stance with Ranma's autocannon (the lone one with ammunition) shouldered. There was some sense of urgency in the job. However since the Zentraedi soldiers were quick to get out of the bay when they entered, they figured they had some time.

Unfortunately, time was something that had ran out on all of them, and none of them knew it. Breetai was up in the ventilation system, having made his way back into his ship and informed members of his crew that they must capture the invading Micronians. Now he was waiting for was the right moment to drop on the Micronians.

That moment appeared when the two Battloids changed position and started to cut into the ship again. So he came raining down from the sky welding a pipe onto the head of Ben's Battloid the pipe went, caving it in and knocking Ben out.

Almost immediately, Zentraedi soldiers came rushing back into the bay.

"Max, protect Commander Hayes," Ranma ordered. He then charged at Breetai. Though he was weaponless, he was fairly confident he could take the big Zentraedi down. He was a martial artist after all, and this would allow him to see how well the "thinking cap" interfaced with the Battloid.

Max, on the other hand, didn't have the training that Ranma had. So he was rather reliant on the autocannon in his hand. He opened fired on the Zentraedi that came rushing at him. However they were more agile now that they weren't in their Battlepods. They were effective in surrounding Max and getting to Lisa.

Ranma saw this in his stand still with Breetai and tried to warn Lisa. Breetai seemed to sense the distracted nature of his opponent and attack. Swinging the pipe like a bat, Breetai brought it around to take out Ranma. That might have worked against anyone else. With the pipe coming for his left, Ranma brought his hand up and caught it, then using the momentum, threw Breetai across the room.

Breetai didn't like this, so he came back at Ranma with a shoulder tackle. Ranma quickly learned that there was a short lag time between the second he thought the maneuver and the Veritech completing it. If Ranma had not been in the Battloid, he could have avoided it easily. Instead he found himself on his back.

Meanwhile Lisa had been captured, and Max was out of ammunition (not having learnt the concept effective firing). So Max took to the air, in Guardian mode, in an attempt to recapture Lisa. Unfortunately the Zentraedi were laying down some effective covering fire that kept Max from those that had Lisa.

As soon as Ranma was on the floor, he flipped himself back up and prepared himself for another attack. As Breetai came with another swing, Ranma hit him with a right hook that rocked Breetai. Completely not expecting to be hit in such a manner, Breetai dropped the pipe. He'd been hit many a time, but other than the shot that made it necessary to have the faceplate, he was never hit in the face. Boy did it hurt.

Ranma performed a spin kick that sent Breetai across the room. Pressing the attack, he got in some body shots before Breetai recovered. He wished he could punch at a speed he was accustomed to, but he knew the Battloid was not capable of doing that. He could do many a great thing with the Battloid, but it was clear that it couldn't do much of the unarmed combat he grew up learning.

Once Breetai recovered, he stopped Ranma from hitting him by grabbing his arm and whirling him across the room onto some spike jaunting out from the wall. Pinned, Ranma fired his back thrusters to separate himself of the wall, but he was effectively stuck. Realizing that he had nothing else, he brought his leg to bear, hoping to blow Breetai back with the foot thrusters. However Breetai grabbed them and separated them from the Veritech.

Ranma couldn't believe that this Zentraedi could be this strong. Then he received full fledge proof of Breetai's strength as Breetai ripped off the chest and grinned at the pilot evilly. Fearing that this was the ultimate end, Ranma triggered the ejection system and was expelled from the Battloid.

Breetai laughed as he jumped and caught Ranma. Unknown to Breetai, Ranma set off the self-destruct as he left the Veritech. So no sooner had Breetai returned to the floor, the Battloid exploded. From the explosion, another gaping hole formed and sucked Max off the ship.

When a bulkhead finally sealed off the compartment, Zentraedi soldiers quickly rushed to their commander's side. They were concerned for Breetai's health. Breetai quickly reminded them that he was made of sterner material. Then he opened his hand and presented the captured Micronian pilot, unconscious from being held tight in order to prevent him from slipping out into space.

With a grin, Breetai knew that with the one in his hand they had three captives.

* * *

Little more than fifteen minutes later, the three captives laid unconscious in a clear, sealed container. During that time, the Zentraedi did various scans on them. Presently, Breetai was viewing those scans in his command bubble.

The first thing he noticed was that there was a female with two males. "Do you think it's wise to keep the female in there with them?" he asked Exedore, who was standing next him explaining the data.

"It seems to be a practice of these Micronians. Perhaps we might be able to learn about them further if we leave them together."

Right then, the male, wearing the white and forest green flight suit, started to stir.

* * *

Ranma woke up on a hard metallic floor. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling he'd ever had, especially since he had his oxygen pack on his back. The first thing he thought was how Genma would mock him if he ever found out he lost a fight in such a manner. He didn't even think about the fact he was handicapped in the fight. Nor had he thought about being captured. Though when he did, he thought it was rather funny. Usually it was him going after the one captured. Now who would rescue him?

Then he realized that there were others with him, Lisa and Ben to be exact. He hoped this meant Max got away. He went over to Ben to wake him up. He didn't feel like talking to Lisa right then, considering she was the reason they were in this situation.

However waking Ben up was proving to be as difficult a task as waking Ranma on a normal day, though Ben had the fortune of not having any water nearby. He stopped when he heard Lisa starting to move.

Lisa yawned as she woke up. She had been the only one made unconscious by chemical means. So it was almost like she had taken a nap. As soon as she stopped yawning, she noticed where she was and the fact that Ranma and Ben were with her. They were on a round platform surrounded by what appeared to glass. On one of the sides of the room there was a viewport that allowed them to look out into space. Everywhere else there were various devices that were clearly Zentraedi.

Next she realized her helmet was off. Her first thoughts were maybe the Zentraedi were supplying them with oxygen. However she couldn't see anything that could pump air into the room. That meant they breathed the same air.

With all her observations noted, Lisa turned to Ranma, who at the side of still asleep Ben. "Is he going to be all right, Ranma?" she asked.

"Yeah, he'll be okay," Ranma replied with some venom.

Lisa was taken back by this.

"Of course, he...we wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you," he added.

"And what was meant by that?" Lisa asked putting the same type of venom.

"Just that some people shouldn't try to do thing they weren't meant to or flat out cannot do." It was almost like he had said this before. "I swear you girls are all the same," he added under his breath. Unfortunately it was something that was better left unheard.

"And what do you mean 'you girls are all the same?'" Lisa asked for she heard the comment.

"Look I don't want to get into another argument with you. They're pointless since I'm always right."

Lisa didn't like that comment one bit and was all set to remark when Ben decided that it was time to wake up. And an aloof expression on his face said, "Did I miss anything?"

It was the type of comment that Ranma expected from Ben. He just had to laugh. In ways Ben reminded Ranma of people of his Nerima life.

But his laugh was cut short as the ship started to rumble. It was a rumble that both Ranma and Lisa were familiar with since they were both on the SDF-1.

"They're about to fold, Ranma."

* * *

The Zentraedi had started a fold operation. Breetai had gotten a headache quickly just watching the interaction between the male and female, so he had Exedore cut off the picture of the prisoners. From the data collected from them, it was deemed that Dolza, the Zentraedi supreme commander, should see it. And Breetai wanted to show the Micronians to him personally.


	10. Escape revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 10: Escape

* * *

"Captain, sensors are picking up what appears to be a fold operation," Vanessa called out from her station. Even though the radar wasn't fully operational, since the launching of the Cat's Eye patrol, some functions were available.

"It appears to be just one ship." she went on to add.

"That's odd," Gloval mumbled to himself while standing in the center of the bridge. "Why would they bring in one ship?"

Working under Gloval for so long, Vanessa understood his question and commented that the ship left the group. She went on to give the location before Gloval asked for it. It was the same general area of Lisa's last known position.

They hadn't heard from Lisa in over an hour. Gloval asked Sammie, who was manning Lisa's station, if there was anything from the patrol. Sammie turned to him and gave the answer he didn't want to hear.

"…and I haven't been able to reach Vermilion Squadron, too!"

* * *

The next day Roy drove into town. This wasn't going to be one of those trips that he would enjoy. Ranma and his team had been placed on the MIA list. There was no evidence to prove that the three plus Lieutenant Commander Hayes and her co-pilot were dead. Another patrol was sent out late yesterday and only found Battlepod wreckage.

It wasn't like they were the first pilots to ever be listed as MIA. However the others were soon found dead. He hoped beyond all hopes that Ranma, his men, and Lisa would not become part of that statistic.

Now his had to tell his big sister that her son was missing. He would have to do the same for Minmei. Following that, he would have to decide to either assigned Rick back to Skull Squadron or outfit Vermilion Squadron under his command. That all depended on when Rick could return to flight status. The next group of ensigns to leave the "academy" was in a week.

About fifteen minutes later, he stood against the White Dragon smoking a cigarette. He couldn't believe Nodoka hadn't told him about her move to the Hotel Continental. He was going to finish this cigarette before hopping back into his jeep and making his way there. Though he wasn't an advent smoker, he knew that when he did light one up, make sure Nodoka wasn't around for she hated cigarette smoke.

Too bad he wasn't fortunate enough to put it out before Nodoka spotted him. She was walking down the street with Minmei and a couple of Minmei's friends from school. He had that look of being busted as he quickly spit it out of his mouth and put it out with his shoe.

Nodoka had seen the cigarette and shook her head in disgust. She couldn't believe Roy still smoked. She would've thought he'd quit after their aunt died of lung cancer some five years ago.

"Ah, hi," Roy said sheepishly.

"Roy, I thought you said you quit?" Nodoka said, giving that older sibling glare.

Roy winced and said he was trying. He was now down to a pack a month as compared to a pack and a half a day. Still that wasn't an acceptable answer.

Changing the subject, Nodoka asked him what was Ranma doing since he had missed another day of lessons. She knew the RDF was on high alert after that rumbling of the ship two days ago. However after a day, soldiers returned to city on their off duty time, so it was natural to expect Ranma for his lessons.

Roy didn't know how to tell the two most important women in Ranma's life that he was missing. He'd always had a way with women, but this was his sister and the other was "sort of" his niece. It wasn't like this was the hardest thing to do. He wrote many a letter to parents of those killed while serving under him. He was going to have to tell them something nonetheless. "Um, it's about Ranma."

"What about Ranma!" both women asked, instantly pick up on his nervousness.

"Well he went out on mission yesterday and hasn't return, yet."

That garnered gasps from both of them. They thought the same thing. Only Minmei spoke it. "He's dead!"

"No, I'm not saying that."

"He's not coming back?"

"There's still the possibility."

Unfortunately, Minmei wouldn't to hear what Roy had to say and ran off crying.

Roy turned to his sister, who looked to be on the verge of tears herself.

"Don't get down, sis. I'm sure Ranma and the others are just fine."

"But...But...But…"

That's when Nodoka could no longer hold back the tears, and she started to cry. Ranma was her life. Sure there was the teaching and the esteem she received from her colleagues. However all she needed was her little boy. Though she put up a good front those years he was away, she didn't think she could live with the actual knowledge that Ranma would no longer be in her life.

Roy watched his big sister cry. The only thing he could do was to take her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. It was a very brotherly thing to do.

Minmei's two friends, unaccustomed to such feelings that precipitated, felt now was the time to leave and perhaps find Minmei to see how she was coping with the news of her brother.

As for Minmei, she made her way to the one place she felt happiest whenever she was with Ranma, the miniature golf course. It was the place Ranma took her the day of Rick and Kim's first date. Neither of them were good but playing together was the best time she had on the ship. Especially when Ranma hit the ball too hard, and with some weird deflections, it ended up hitting herself square on the forehead. It was one of the weirdest things Minmei had ever seen, but it was also the funniest.

It was memories such as these that came to Minmei while she held a putter in her hand.

* * *

Somewhere in the folds of time and space, Ranma, Lisa, and Ben sat in their container, wondering what might happen to them. Lisa and Ranma were acting rather childish, where Lisa would make a comment and Ranma would make his reply through Ben. He was not happy about the predicament that Lisa had gotten them in.

It wasn't like Lisa cared, for she thought he was acting rather juvenile. She tried to make herself appear busy by using the mini-digital camera, which the Zentraedi didn't take away from her, to scan their surroundings. Every once in awhile, she'd catch herself stealing glances at Ranma as he laid on the floor. Ben was doing pretty much the same thing. So Lisa came to the conclusion that they had to be some of the laziest people in the world.

"Ya know, Ben, I don't know why that tomboy is working so hard with that mini-cam? It's not like it's gonna help us escape," Ranma said.

Lisa gritted her teeth as she heard him call her a tomboy. It took all she had to take the high road.

"I wonder if Max was able to get out safely," Ben said in response.

* * *

Not far away from the room housing Ranma, Lisa, and Ben stood something that was quite out of place for a Zentraedi battle cruiser. The white and blue of Max's Battloid hid in doorways as it was going through the ship in its attempt to find the other three.

Max had gotten lucky or maybe unlucky. After being sucked out of the bay, he quickly reoriented himself to go back in and rescue his commander, his teammate, and the first officer of the SDF-1. As with Breetai's case, the created hole sealed up quickly. Max reconfigured to Fighter mode, and while hugging the hull so not to alert the Zentraedi radar, he searched another opening.

It wasn't long before Max found the opening he needed by pure luck. The hole in the hull was clearly caused by an explosion. He reconfigured back into a Battloid and walked onto the ship. While he was in the corridor made from the hole, things started appearing weird. It was the moment of the spacefold jump.

Now he was inside the ship, searching. If he had only knew where they were, he would have never passed the room.

* * *

Lisa was finally finished taking pictures of the room they were being housed. Now she was having a seat with the others, now sitting up from their relaxing position.

The day had been long for all of them, and there was no telling how much longer it would be before they saw their captors. They knew they'd been in their containers for hours, but none of them knew just how long.

Lisa looked down at her watch to see exactly how much time had passed. She had turned on its chronometer function before the Cat's Eye launched. "We've already been gone for ten days," she announced.

"Ten days. How can that be?" Ben asked. "We've only been in here for about six hours."

"Well, you see, Ben, time flows differently in hyperspace," Ranma stated. "Though it seems as if we've been in here for about six hours, in actuality it's been ten days. That means where they're taking us must be far away from our solar system."

_Wow! He's rather educated_, thought Lisa, her eyes wide in shock. She'd been judging him by their few encounters, in which Ranma came off as a jock, especially when watching him at the gym.

"If we've been here for ten days, I guess we've missed Minmei's debut," commented Ben.

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Ranma.

Unfortunately they wouldn't know of the press release saying Minmei was postponing her debut until further notice because of family concerns.

It wasn't long after this comment that objects outside of their container seemed to solidify instead of a red haze of three images.

"Well, it appears where here," Ranma said, as he got up and walked over to the side nearest the window. Lisa and Ben soon followed.

"Where do you think we are, lieutenant?"

Both Ranma and Lisa had to close their eyes and shake the heads to avoid from commenting. Ben maybe a good Veritech pilot, but he wasn't the brightest person. Obviously they were being taken to the Zentraedi headquarters or something like that. However a void of space was all they saw. As the ship proceeded on, a group of twinkling stars appeared in the distances. As the ship got closer, they could make out something.

Then they saw the first group of Zentraedi battleships. They gasped, appalled by the sheer number. But that was just the start. The number of ships increased every passing second. First it was several hundred, then several thousand, and soon it had to be a couple of million. They couldn't be sure by just eyeballing it. So Lisa quickly put her camera into action, making sure she had every ship they could see recorded. If they ever got back to the SDF-1, she would get it to Robotech scientists for a count.

They proceeded forward and soon had a clear view of what was twinkling. It was the biggest ship they could have possibly imagined. It wasn't big length-wise; it was big height-wise. It was a green mountain, quite possibly as tall as Mount Everest, if not taller.

"Something tells me that's their headquarters," Ben stated.

_Ya don't say_, thought both Lisa and Ranma.

They continued to watch as an opening appeared and soon the Zentraedi ship was swallowed inside. Once inside, they gasped again as there were even more ship inside this mountain of a ship.

* * *

"So you decided to bring them here," said a bald man over Breetai's projecbeam monitor. This was the Zentraedi Supreme Commander Dolza. He was the oldest and tallest of all the Zentraedi.

"Yes, Lord Dolza," replied Breetai. "I decided it would be best to interrogate them here in your presence so that you would be personally informed of their knowledge of Protoculture."

After a moment of thinking it over, Dolza said it was wise that Breetai brought the Micronians there. Then he informed Breetai that he would come to his ship. This caught Breetai off guard. Dolza explained he wanted to prevent contamination amongst the rest of the Zentraedi. Breetai understood what he meant that it was for the greater good of the Zentraedi.

So as soon as Dolza ended the transmission, Breetai ordered the prisoners to be brought to the interrogation room.

* * *

Ten days had passed since the reconnaissance mission went missing. In that time the scheduled debut of Lynn Minmei had been postpone. Since that was to coincide with the release of her debut album, the burgeoning entertainment community decided there should at least be a release party. They didn't put any obligations on Minmei for they knew about Lieutenant Saotome, especially Minmei's manager, Vance Hasselwood, since he had to meet Ranma before he could have the job.

The party was highly exclusive, with the only way one could get in was with an invitation or you a date of someone with an invitation. Kim Young was fortunate to be one of those. It was obvious Rick would get an invitation, with him being a close friend to Minmei. Rick was on leave from flight status while he healed, but when he returned, he would be given command of Vermilion Squadron until they either found Ranma and the others or they were declared dead.

When Rick heard Minmei postponed her debut concert, he wasn't surprised. Ranma meant more to her than he did. However he was surprised when the invitation was delivered to him. Initially he thought that this might provide an opportunity for him and Minmei. He was thinking in terms of those Hollywood premieres or MTV events he watched as a child. That was until he talked to Minmei and found out she didn't know anything about the party, and now that she knew, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go. As she explained,_ "It's much too soon for me."_

When they parted that day, Rick thought that maybe he should just ignore it. If it weren't for Roy, he would have done just that.

"You should seize the opportunity," Roy said as they were walking together back to the base. "There's no telling if you'll ever get this again."

"Some opportunity. The girl that the party is for didn't know about it until a couple of hours ago," Rick replied.

"And I bet you wanted to take that girl to 'said' party?"

Rick scowled at Roy for that sarcastic remark. Like it wasn't obvious to those who knew Rick that he had a thing for Lynn Minmei, aka Miss Macross.

"Ya gotta understand," Roy continued. "It's been six days since she misconstrued my explanation for Ranma. Next to the Lynns, he was her family."

Rick smirked at him as if saying that he already knew that, especially with the threat Ranma gave him about a year ago.

"What I'm saying is go," Roy finished.

"Yeah, go dateless," Rick responded.

"'Ey, if you really need a date, why don't you ask Kim. You two seemed to be good together."

"That would be a date," Rick said without thinking.

"Well, that's what I thought the two of you were doing."

Rick wasn't quick to respond to that statement. He realized what he said and what Roy said. Then he realized that he and Kim hanging out could be seen as dating to some.

That ended that conversation with Roy. He went to his room and called Kim. He figured he could use this as a thank you for helping him when he sprained his ankle. He was lucky to get in contact with her then, for she had just walked in. Kim was surprised that he wanted to take her with him. Her first thought he was definitely using her against Minmei, though she hoped that wasn't so.

She hadn't seen him since his accident. Things had become too busy for everyone in the RDF. With Lisa being declared MIA, they were training Sammie to perform her job; that meant Kim had more to do.

When the day arrived, Rick went to Kim's barracks to pick her up. In front of the door to her room, he stood with a bouquet of flowers. He wore a pair of khaki slacks, a long sleeve, buttoned down, blue-green-white plaid shirt with a matching tie, and a navy blue sweater vest. He wasn't sure if this event was casual or dress, so he thought this outfit would fly for both types of dress.

When the door open, and Rick got his first glance at Kim, he backed away from the door, nearly falling on his butt. The vision that stood in front of him was much different than the Kim that he always hung out with. The Kim he thought he knew always wore shorts, may they be long or short, sneakers, and simple shirt. The Kim in front of him wore a strapless black dress that came down just above the knee with matching accessories. That threw Rick for a loop since he never seen her wearing makeup (or failed to noticed.)

One would need to take into account that Rick was a seventeen-year-old "boy" trying to woo the sixteen-year-old Minmei. In front of him was a nineteen-year-old "woman" looking more beautiful than Minmei.

Rick heard some snickering in the background and came out of his stupor. Changing his point of focus, he looked behind Kim, into her room, and saw both Sammie and Vanessa. But he paid them no mind as he shifted his focus back to Kim.

"H-Hi, Kim. T-These are for you," he said, handing her the bouquet. It surprised him that he was suddenly nervous around Kim. In the months that he'd known her, he'd never been nervous.

"Thank you, Rick," Kim said, accepting the bouquet. Rick failed to notice her cheeks were a deeper shade of red, making her blush unnoticeable. It was the first time that any guy had given Kim flowers.

"Good evening, Lt. Hunter," chimed Sammie and Vanessa.

"Hi, ladies," he replied, waving into the room. Then he came back to Kim. Offering an arm, he said, "S-Shall we go. I rented us a limo."

Rick was lucky to get it, as all of the partygoers took them. It wasn't like Rick couldn't afford it. Except for the outfit he was wearing, he rarely spent any of his wages. In fact most pilots rarely spent their wages. To go out and eat, they could use their ration cards (accepted at all restaurants in Macross City). They live in barracks on base. There was a jeep for every five pilots-no car payments. That only left items such as TV, DVDs, Blu Rays, and gaming consoles to buy, and for some pilots, they were unnecessary.

For instance, before Nodoka started teaching, the majority of Ranma's pay supported her.

After she came back from placing the flower in some water, Kim wrapped her arm around Rick's and said that she'd be glad to leave.

"Say, do you think something might happen?" Vanessa asked as the two left.

"Sure something's gonna happen. With all the stars that are suddenly emerging on the ship. We'll definitely hear about it on the news," Sammie answered.

"No, idiot. I'm talking about those two," stated Vanessa. "Didn't you see that look on Lt. Hunter? It was the classic, 'Oh my god! I've just seen the most beautiful woman in the world,' love at first sight look."

Sammie had noticed that look. "Well, maybe Lt. Hunter thinks it's time to take the next step. They've only been dating since October."

* * *

Rick definitely wasn't overdressed. Held at the same hotel where Minmei was living, the party had people in various types of dress from casual to formal. There were even some women there in what appeared to be rehashed prom dresses. Except for some of the friends Minmei had made on the island, everybody was pretty much older than both Rick and Kim.

Minmei did decide to make an appearance at her party at the beginning. But the instance she saw Rick together with Kim, the feelings she had whenever she saw the two surfaced, and she promptly left.

At 9:00 the album debuted without Minmei's presences. At first, people just sat around, eating and drinking, while listening to the music. The majority of the songs were originals written by Minmei with two cover songs. One cover was a dance tune Minmei song with a guy. The other was a mellow duet in which another girl sang the lead vocals.

One song that appeared to be popular over all the rest was called _My Boyfriend's a Pilot_. Rick already knew about it. Minmei told him about it a couple months ago. And he was pretty sure the song was about him.

The second time the album was played, some people started dancing. As the night progressed, more people started dancing until it was a regular dance party.

Also as the night progressed, the more inebriated Rick became. He didn't do it on purpose. When getting drinks for him and Kim, he wanted to try something new. However he thought he was getting safe, non-alcoholic drinks, such as daiquiris. Unfortunately he never mentioned the word "virgin."

Slowly Kim started noticing the signs. She, herself, had stayed partially safe by drinking mostly soda. He hadn't become seriously drunk yet, but she knew she needed to get the two of them out of that environment before he did something stupid. Unfortunately their limo wasn't bound to pick them up for a couple of hours.

Fortunately she saw Nodoka Saotome. Recognizing Ranma's mother, Kim had a feeling that she could help, especially since Rick was a member of her son' squadron. She went to her and explained the problem. After Nodoka had a talking with Rick, she left the room, only to come back a minute later. She had gotten Rick a room so he could sleep the alcohol off. She was upset that Rick had drank it, but grateful that the girl with him was looking out for him and brought it to her attention.

However it did allow her the opportunity to get Rick to commit to continuing his education. She could not have her "relatives" go through life without a high school (or in Ranma's case-college) education. She would just have him join Minmei during her home schooling sessions.

Kim was thankful to Nodoka. She didn't ask how she was able to get the room. The Continental was rebuilt with mostly penthouses for dignitaries caught in the fold. Fortunately there were a couple rooms that where still considered hotel rooms.

Kim took him up to the room. Needless to say, some things happened that weren't planned at the beginning of the evening in that room. In the morning, clothes would be found strewn around the room, and a couple of "teenagers" would realize they lost their virginities.

* * *

Ranma, Lisa, and Ben found themselves standing on a big table after being transferred to another room. It was quite possible that this was where their interrogation would take place. The room they were in was huge. It was pretty dark except for a light above them.

Off to the sides of the table were two Zentraedi. The one on the left they recognized as the one that attacked them in the bay. One thing Ranma thought he looked a hell of a lot taller just sitting there than when Ranma looked at him through the Battloid's monitor.

They could tell the Zentraedi on their right was shorter than the other. His body seemed misshapen. In a comparison between the two Zentraedi, he had two eyes where as the other guy had a metal plate covering a portion of his right side, with a crystal jewel where his eye would be.

What went unnoticed by the three at the time were the three other Zentraedi soldiers sitting behind them at the table.

With all the Zentraedi that surrounded them, they decided to face the one side left open. They stood in silences, almost like they were waiting for someone or something. Then there was the sound of a hatch opening and closing. That was followed by the sounds of footsteps, and out from the shadows appeared this gigantic bald Zentraedi, wearing a purple robe with a high collar. He sat at the end of the table, towering over everyone there.

Once settled into his seat, he spoke. "I am Dolza, Commander-in-Chief of the Zentraedi. You will submit to my interrogation. If you choose not to, then you will die."

Ranma, Lisa, and Ben started talking amongst themselves. They couldn't believe that the alien had just spoken to them in their own language. While they were talking, Lisa secretly brought out her mini-digicam, attached it onto her chest, and turned it on to record. Surprisingly nobody noticed her movements.

"It appears the translating device is working properly," said the Zentraedi to their right, also in the Zentraedi language.

"I must commend you on efforts to allow me to speak to these primitives, Exedore," the one named Dolza said. Then he returned his attention to Ranma, Lisa, and Ben. "Now explain why you continue to resist us? Surely Breetai has demonstrated our superiority."

Guessing that the one named Breetai sat on their left, Ranma pointed to him and said, "He attacked us first. We've just been defending ourselves from…"

"It does not matter," interrupted the one identified as Breetai.

"Like hell it does," Ranma mumbled.

"We just want what is rightfully ours, Zor's ship," Breetai finished.

Momentarily Ranma became the unofficial spokesperson for the group. In response to what Breetai said, he pretty much intimated the finder's keepers rule by saying if they were talking about the SDF-1, which crashed landed on Earth, which they rebuilt, it was now theirs.

At that point words started flying amongst the Zentraedi and Ranma until Lisa put a stop to it.

"I'll no longer have you badgering those under my command," she said, stepping out from the three.

There were some murmurings amongst the Zentraedi over the disbelief of a female commanding two males.

Dolza cleared his throat to quiet the group. "Tell us what you know of Protoculture?" he demanded.

Lisa gave him a confused stare. Well, they all had confused looks on their faces. They had never heard of Protoculture.

"Do not deny your knowledge of Protoculture?" stated Breetai.

Lisa wanted to give a look back to Ranma and Ben, but that would undermine the position she'd just put herself in.

Since he wasn't getting any responses, Dolza warned Lisa not to underestimate the seriousness of the situation.

The room went dark with the wave of Dolza's hand. To Ranma, Lisa, and Ben, it appeared they were now in deep space, surrounded by a star field with a planet very reminiscent of Earth to them in the distances. As the planet came closer to them, Zentraedi ships started folding into view, surrounding the planet. Ship after ship appeared, layering themselves around the planet until they pretty much smothered it.

Then they all opened fire.

Lisa's gasp was quite audible because of the destruction she'd just witnessed. The others had their mouths gaping open. It was clear they were amazed by the display of firepower. All the while, Dolza talked over it, explaining to them how powerful the Zentraedi truly were.

When the Zentraedi came back into view, Lisa instantly put on a face of non-intimidation, and then said, "You don't have enough power to destroy the SDF-1, Dolza." It was an obvious bluff, but she hoped he wouldn't call her on it. "The SDF-1 has more power than you can dream of!'

_What's that girl doin'?_ thought Ranma.

Dolza didn't like the way the female Micronian talked to him. "Impertinence!" he yelled, and he pounded his fist onto the table, knocking the three captives down. Then he reached out, grabbed Lisa and held her tightly in his right hand.

Ranma wanted to kick the crap out of Dolza as he heard Lisa struggle to breathe while in his grip.

"Now, my feisty female, I want to know by what process did you become Micronian?" Dolza decided to take another approach to this interrogation. He was sure she would have to tell him about Protoculture from this measure.

Ranma was clutching his fists to put down his anger. He couldn't believe that dumb Zentraedi asked Lisa a question while not allowing her to breathe. "Stop squeezing her," he said through his teeth.

Then he said, "If you want to know, we're born this size."

"Born? What is this born?" asked Exedore.

"Well, you know…Coming from our mothers," spoke Ben.

"What is this 'mother'?" asked a voice from behind them.

Ranma and Ben spun around to see the three Zentraedi, dressed in red uniforms, behind them.

"Mothers are the female parent," replied Ben. He looked at them as if they were idiots for not knowing what a mother was.

"You mean you actually come from the female of your kind?" stated Exedore.

"And by what way do you come from the female of your kind?" added Breetai.

Ben looked at Ranma to see if he wanted to answer this. All he got in return was a look of confusion. The thing Ben didn't know was Ranma only knew the textbook version of how babies were made. He just learned human physiology the other week. Biology wasn't his strong suit, so Nodoka proceeded at slowed pace.

The two were the same age with Ben older by a couple of months. However, due to the nature of their upbringing, Ben was the more experienced of the two. Hell, Ranma had yet to kiss a girl unless you want to count that kiss with Akane during the Romeo and Juliet play. Though it wasn't like he was completely clueless with the things he heard in the locker room. He was simply naïve.

Seeing that there wouldn't be a response from his commanding officer, Ben went on to say, "Well, by making love."

The Zentraedi were confused by the term of "making love."

"And how does this 'making love' work?" asked Exedore.

"Usually it starts with a kiss between a man and a woman," Ben started.

That's all he got out before Dolza bellowed out, "You two, demonstrate this 'kiss'."

"What! No way!" Ranma expressed. "I ain't kissin' no guy!"

That was one of Ranma's worst fears since obtaining his curse, as if by kissing a man, he will start liking them.

"Do it or I squish the female!" Dolza said.

"I ain't like that!" Ranma said more emphatically, hoping he'd get his point across.

Fortunately Lisa saved him from embarrassment. Using every ounce air she could muster, she volunteered to do it. Since Dolza wanted a demonstration, he placed Lisa back on the table.

The first thing Lisa did once she was out of Dolza's grip was take a couple of deep breaths. Once she could breathe easily, she walked over to Ranma. "Okay, Ranma, I want you to kiss me," she said in a near whisper.

"Why does everybody want me to kiss 'em?"

"Are you afraid of a kiss?"

"I ain't afraid of nothin'." Everyone could almost see Ranma's chest expand as he tried to show his pride.

"Look, Ranma, it's just a simple kiss. Besides I want to get their response on the digicam."

"Then why not with Ben?"

Lisa took one look at Ben, and the unconscious part of her brain that was attracted to Ranma immediately told her, _Not in your life, sister._

Snapping her head back, she said, "'Cause I rather it be you."

"Well, you better make it an order, commander."

"Then it's an order."

Accepting that order, the two moved into position. Once in said position, Lisa maneuvered the digicam so she could capture the Zentraedi's reaction. "Okay, we're ready," she said. She turned her head to face Ranma. Her head started to inch closer to Ranma and Ranma likewise. Just before their lips met, Ranma said to himself, _Akane, please forgive me._

When their lips met, it was like lightning struck. Well at least it did for Lisa. There was no tongue exchange, just a simple lip-lock. Lisa went into this thinking it was just something she had to do as part of her duty. However, moments into the kiss, her legs turned to jelly and her heart rate went up. She had to lean against Ranma, or more like melted into him, to show some semblance of standing.

While Lisa was feeling all this, it was the Zentraedi's turn to give the appearance of being appalled. This was the most reviled thing any of them had ever seen.

If it wasn't for Ranma's recognition of supporting the weight of two people, there was no telling if they would have stopped before the groans of the Zentraedi became audible.

When Ranma separated his lips from Lisa, she continued the kiss, but now it was air.

As Ranma backed away, Lisa almost fell to the table. Almost because Ranma quickly realized Lisa was in no condition to stand, though he didn't know why. For him the kiss meant nothing. Sure he felt a tingling sensation that started at lips and went down his spine. He just expected more.

"Lisa, are you okay?"

Hearing Ranma call her by name, Lisa realized the kiss was over. She instantly blushed in embarrassment for holding that position for so long.

By that time, the two realized the commotion their display caused. Dolza was already out of the room, fearing that if he stayed any longer, he would be contaminated by the Micronians. But before he left, he ordered Breetai to lock them up.

Before Ranma, Lisa, or Ben could realize what was happening, they were back on a cart and wheeled out of the room. As they went down corridors, Ranma couldn't help but notice that they were going in a different direction than the one that led them to the interrogation room.

As they made their way to so unknown destination, they passed by the hidden Max. Though no one would have recognized the Battloid, as Max had effectively disguised it in a Zentraedi soldier's uniform, after fortunate encounter in what appeared to be a restroom.

Once he recognized who was on the cart, Max proceeded to follow at a discreet distance. They were placed in a room that was completely different than their first room. It had to be a holding cell, as there wasn't any viewports to look out into space. They were spilled onto the ground with the door closing with a resounding thud.

"What a fine mess you got us into, Lisa," Ranma said, just as soon as the door closed.

"Oh, shut up, Ranma," Lisa replied. "How you could blame this on me?"

Neither had realized that both referred to the other by their first names instead of rank.

"I'm pretty sure it had something to do with that kiss you insisted on," Ranma retorted.

"Man, what a kiss it was," Ben said, adding his two cents. He was the only one that witnessed the reactions of the Zentraedi while his commanders kissed. It was he who told them exactly what happened.

"What did I say," Ranma commented once Ben finished.

"What! I was doing my job. Or have you already forgotten how to do that now that we're captured," Lisa fired back.

"I _**am**_ doing my job! But if some stupid tomboy didn't feel the need to take things into her own hands and foul up a mission when she should have kept her ass on the bridge, none of us would be in this situation!"

That was all Lisa could take. She had been seated on the floor, but after that comment, she was instantly on her feet and moving towards Ranma, fist cocked for a monstrous punch. She didn't care that they just shared a kiss that just made her legs turn into jelly. She was out for blood.

Unfortunately she never made to him. She had been caught by Ben, who felt it was his responsibility to stop this latest fight. He didn't mind words flying around, but he would not let things get physical. He knew (as well as everyone in the fighter wing) that Ranma was an accomplished martial artist. Only having knowledge of martial arts from the movies, he didn't want to see what would happen if the two got into throwing punches. However Ben didn't know about Ranma reluctance towards fighting women.

"Look, you two. I don't think fighting is gonna answer our problems," Ben said, trying to sound profound. "We should being trying to figure out a way to get out of here and back home."

Lisa's aggression disappeared. Feeling the tension release of her body, Ben let her go, to which she returned to where she had been sitting. Ben also took a seat while Ranma just leaned against a wall, hands behind his head.

Ranma began thinking if he knew any techniques that could get him out of this. That led him to his two most advance techniques, the Katsü Tenshin Amagurikin and the Hiryü Shöten Ha, yet he knew that neither of them would work. Sure throwing punches at the speed of the amagurikin would eventually start bend the metal door, but there was no telling how thick the door was or even the walls. As for the Hiryü Shöten Ha, with the hot chi Lisa could produce out of anger, there were consequences in actually attempting the technique.

There was silence in the room while the three thought. Ranma going through what could and could not be done through brute strength, Lisa using her head, and Ben was just scratching the surface for any idea.

Then Lisa came up with an idea. "Say, why don't we, when the guard comes, surprise him by kissing?"

The comment was clearly directed to Ranma. _Why does it have to be a kiss?_ he thought. "Oh, no! You're not kissing me again," he replied.

"Come on, Ranma. You heard how Ensign Dixon said they seemed repulsed by our kiss," said Lisa.

"Then why not kiss Ben?" Ranma came back.

Knowing he didn't really have a chance, Ben instantly showed her his kissing face. Lisa saw this and said, "I thought we already had this conversation."

* * *

Dolza had regained his composure and returned to the interrogation room, where Breetai, Exedore and the three operatives (Rico, Konda, and Bron) still remained. There were discussions on what just happened. Discussions that were not meant to leave that room.

"Clearly the Micronians know more than they are willing to tell," stated Dolza.

"I would concur," Exedore agreed, "but how much do they know about Protoculture?"

Rico, Konda, and Bron were confused. They hadn't a clue as to what was being said, especially this Protoculture. That was quite natural as only those that needed to know had the information about Protoculture.

Still they asked the question, "What is Protoculture?"

Dolza pondered for a moment before readily supplying them with the information, but he premised it by saying that what he was about to say was to stay in the room. After a quick affirmation, Dolza proceeded. "Protoculture is the essence of Robotechnology, developed by our ancestors." He let it sink in for effect, for not many of the present Zentraedi could remember their ancestors. "In the beginning, the Zentraedi were the same size as these Micronians. At one time we, too, lived together with our female counterparts, in something called a 'society.' But through the use of Protoculture, we evolved to our present size, strength, and superiority. Unfortunately a series of events that even now must be kept secret led to the loss of our understanding of Protoculture."

The room was silence as what was said was taken in. Then Breetai said, "If the Micronians do know more than they're letting on, we need to place someone on Zor's ship to find out."

"Are you talking about placing a spy on it?" asked Dolza.

The minute Dolza said that, Rico, Konda, and Bron started discussing amongst themselves. Ever since their recon mission, they had been fascinated by what they saw. And now the perfect opportunity was becoming available to them.

"Yes, sir. That's exactly what I'm thinking," replied Breetai.

"Do you have in mind for this mission?" inquired Dolza.

"Sir, we would like to take the mission," said Rico, the short, black haired, ashen skinned Zentraedi.

Dolza thought about this for a minute. He thought about how luck just fell into their lap. With these three volunteers, there wouldn't be a need to train more soldiers in the Micronian's language.

"Are all of you sure about this?" he asked. He was given three affirmations as a response.

* * *

In another portion of Breetai's ship, Max staked out the door that was holding his compatriots. Standing in front of the door was a soldier in battle armor. So Max just bid his time, waiting for the opportunity to catch the soldier off guard.

Behind the door, nothing had been said since Lisa's kissing suggestion. During that time, Ranma was allowed to mull it over. The more he thought about it, the better the idea became, much to his disliking. He was already dead if Akane were to ever find out what he did. Moreover he realized that it was part of his responsibility to get the information on the digicam into the hands of those that could do something with it.

Lisa did have a point. If what Ben said was correct, if he and Lisa kissed the next time the guard came, they'd be able to escape.

"Okay, I'll do it," Ranma announced, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" said both Lisa and Ben.

Ranma explained to them that he would go along with the kissing plan. "But don't think I'm gonna pucker up once we're out of here."

"You make it like I want to kiss you," Lisa retorted. Though in the back of her mind, that's exactly what she wanted to do.

Suddenly they heard some commotion outside the door. Instantly they knew that this was their opportunity. Lisa directed Ben over to the right side of the door, while she and Ranma positioned themselves in the middle of the room, ready to kiss the minute the door opened.

They kissed the second the door opened. From Ben's prospective, it was clear that the Zentraedi was startled. "All right, guys, we got 'em," he announced.

Ranma and Lisa quickly broke the kiss and started to make their way out. Then they heard a familiar voice.

"Wait, guys. It's me, Max." With the lifting the cap, they all saw the blue head of Max's Battloid. "Sorry, it's taken me so long." He then brought in the guard he'd knocked unconscious.

"That's okay, Max," Ranma said, as Max laid the guard on the floor, "but we should leave now."

"Sure thing." Max lowered the Battloid and extended the Battloid's left arm to the floor with the palm of the up. Lisa and Ranma immediately hopped aboard. Ben made his way over, but Max brought the other hand down in Ben's way. "Sorry, buddy, but three's a crowd," Max explained. He lifted the hand and placed Ranma and Lisa in the left breast pocket. "Besides, wouldn't want you to disturb the two lovebirds." Of course Max was just joking. Unfortunately Ranma and Lisa weren't quick to realize this, as they instantly protested.

Max did have a reason for separating the three. Knowing that he was going to have to walk away from this area, he figured that having them in the same breast pocket was bad. The weight of three could leave a noticeable bulge. Hopefully with them in separate pockets, he could move around without being discovered. He had done a good job of this so far.

Once he was finally set to move, Max left and made his way down the corridor. Things were going fine for the first ten or so steps. Then a Zentraedi soldier, wearing a power battle suit, turned from another corridor and walked in his direction. Max quickly informed his passengers, who quickly crouched down into their respective pockets.

Ranma caught a glance of the soldier as he passed them. Both he and Max hoped he wasn't on his way to their "prison cell." Unfortunately that's where he stopped. The solider had intended to go, but things were suspicious as no one was guarding the door of some Micronian prisoners. So it was only natural for him to open the door to see if everything was all right. What he saw instantly made him know things were not right, as the guard was lying on the floor, unconscious.

Immediately he called to the soldier walking away. He wasn't initially suspicious of the guy. He just wanted to know if he knew anything.

Max heard the soldier call at him but couldn't understand what was said. So he started to move the Battloid at a faster pace.

Seeing the increase in pace, the Zentraedi was quick to realize something was up. Now he called for Max to stop. Since Max didn't speak Zentraedi, he continued to ignore the soldier. That's when the soldier brought a weapon to bear and opened fire. Once that happened, the alarms were sound, and more soldiers made their way to the corridor.

Ever the quick thinker, Ranma ordered Max to change modes. Max was in the same frame of mind and was already changing to Guardian mode, allowing for a increase in speed.

Due to changing Veritech modes, another problem developed. The cockpit section had torn open the shirt. Ranma, Lisa, and Ben had to hang on for their dear lives as the shirt flapped in the air.

As the Veritech's engines provided the needed velocity to elude the Zentraedi, Max went about trying to find a place there weren't any Zentraedi. In doing so, he crashed through Breetai's command bubble as he flew through the bridge.

It was at the exact moment that Breetai, along with Exedore and Dolza were informed of the Micronian break. As the Veritech sped away, Dolza gave Breetai a look of displeasure. He immediately told Breetai that he wanted those Micronians found as soon as possible.

* * *

Max continued on through the ship, still under fire. Eventually he came upon a dead end in the form of an elevator. It looked as if they would crash, but luckily the elevator opened. Unfortunately a Zentraedi soldier stepped off it. He immediately ducked to his right and tried to make himself a fly on the wall to avoid both the Veritech and rifle fire.

Max entered the elevator. He made an attempt to close the door, but there was another problem. The servomotors in the arms were fried. The left couldn't move to pull the lever. He told Ranma, and Ranma braved the short traverse down the arm through laser fire and pulled the lever down.

The door closed and the elevator started down. That's when Max presented everyone with their next problem. The Veritech's systems had overheated, meaning it was set to explode. Everybody quickly got off the Veritech and waited for the elevator to stop. Just knowing about the added danger, the wait seemed to last an eternity. When the doors finally opened, they thought maybe being in an elevator with a Veritech about to explode wasn't too bad, for they were greeted by an unsuspecting Zentraedi soldier.

When the soldier realized what he was seeing, he lunged at them, causing them jump over his arm and out of the elevator. This separated the group into pairs, Lisa with Ranma and Ben with Max. Making a quick getaway, they went their separate ways down a corridor, one pair to the left, the other to the right.

The Zentraedi soldier stood and started its attempt to capture the Micronians. Unfortunately that was when the Veritech decided to explode, killing the soldier.

* * *

Ranma and Lisa ran for about ten minutes after the explosion before they realized Max and Ben weren't with them. They ran into a room, and while Ranma was concerned about the two ensigns under his command, Lisa noticed and started recording the large tube-filled room, with three of the tubes filled with some type of liquid. In them appeared to be bodies.

"Say, Ranma, look at this," Lisa said, getting his attention.

Ranma turned around and almost screamed out in surprise. What else would one do if they found a room with large tubes with Zentraedi bodies in them? Then right before their eyes, the three bodies shrunk in size, reappearing in a smaller tube at the bottom of the large tube. Lisa gasped in surprise. Ranma was able to hold his surprise, but then again, could Ranma really be all that surprised about that? He had seen humans turn into animals, large mallets appear out of nowhere, and shriveled up old people projecting huge auras. Hell, he, himself, changed into a girl (though not so often since he'd ended up in space).

While Lisa continued recording what she saw, Ranma heard the footsteps of an approaching Zentraedi. "Ah, Lisa, I think it would be best if we leave now."

Lisa snapped back to her senses and saw the Zentraedi that Ranma had sensed coming. "Yeah, I think you're right."

And with that, they took off before the Zentraedi noticed there were Micronians in the room.

* * *

In another part of the ship, Max and Ben weren't as lucky as Ranma and Lisa. They were being closely pursued by a trio of Zentraedi soldiers. They didn't have time to attempt to rejoin Ranma and Lisa. They were more concerned about self-preservation than anything else.

Ahead of them appeared just what they needed, those they didn't realize initially. They ran down the corridor until Max had the presence of mind to realize that they were passing through a hatchway. Looking up, he picked up on the hatches controls, and with his gun, shot the hatch closed.

* * *

Back on Breetai's command bubble, thing weren't going well. Clean up was going on for the damaged caused by the Micronians. How they were able to get one of their war machines on board was still trying to be solved.

Then a report came in telling how they had just lost two of the Micronians because of a hatch that just came down.

Dolza didn't like any of the reports coming in. Finally he turned to Breetai and said, "It has become clear to me that you aren't capable of completing this task."

Breetai gave him a stunned glance.

"You have been unable to capture Zor's ship, and now those Micronians are running amok aboard your ship." After a moments silence he continued. "For this, I'm going to have to relieve you of your command."

Breetai was surprised to hear this. He had spent many years searching for the fortress, and that was now taken away from him. He just couldn't believe it. Nonetheless he would not complain. He was a soldier and sometimes things like this happen.

"Who's going to deliver the packet?" Breetai went on to ask. He said in a manner stated his indifference to what Dolza just said.

"Azonia is fully capable of completing this mission," was Dolza's response. "She has never failed me,"

Breetai didn't like the sounds of that. It was mainly because Azonia was female, and in a society in which the sexes were segregated, no male was going to like being pulled from command and replaced by a woman. But doing his duty, he took it in stride.

"Understood, Lord Dolza."

* * *

Ranma and Lisa entered what appeared to be an armory. It wasn't Ranma decision to stop, but Lisa wasn't in the same physical condition as himself. On the other hand, who on the SDF-1 spent every waking moment since the time they could walk training to become the greatest martial artist to ever live?

They stood behind a gun rack, trying to stay out of sight. No sooner had they stopped running had Lisa gone into what they had just seen.

"And you think that this makes them clones?" Ranma questioned.

"Don't you get it? Don't you remember Dolza asking us how we became Micronians?" Lisa asked.

Ranma nodded.

"Well, they had to be wondering if we have chambers like those we saw," Lisa explained.

"But that still doesn't explain your belief that they're clones," Ranma went on to say. "For all we know, they could be supersized humans."

Lisa couldn't believe she just received a statement like from Ranma. But she didn't know his mother was schooling him, and biology was not his strong suit.

"Ranma, haven't cha noticed that several of the Zentraedi look exactly alike?"

Certainly Ranma had seen some soldiers that looked alike, but he thought they were the same soldier. He hadn't really been paying attention to the appearances of each individual Zentraedi soldier. But now that he thought about it, what Lisa was saying made sense about them being clones.

Unnoticed by the two, a Zentraedi had spotted them and was closing in on them as quiet as he possibly could.

"It makes perfect sense for them to think we became Micronian the same way as them," Lisa continued. "In fact, I've been thinking. What if the Zentraedi were original our size but had to macronized to fit a new environment."

"Okay, Lisa, now you're stretching it," responded Ranma.

"How come, Ranma? How else can you explain the one Max sent into space coming back into the ship?"

Ranma was beginning to understand where she was going. Unfortunately before he could respond to the statement, they heard a deep growl. Though Ranma hadn't eaten in some hours, he knew it wasn't his stomach. So where did the growl come from? Ranma received his answer in the form of a gigantic gloved hand coming out of nowhere and seizing Lisa.

"Ranma, Help!" Lisa yelled as she was picked up by a Zentraedi.

Lisa didn't really need to ask for Ranma's help. He was already into motion in coming to her rescue. Not thinking about the size of the Zentraedi, he figured a punch to the face would stun the giant long enough for him to get Lisa out of the Zentraedi's clutches.

The Zentraedi saw Ranma coming, so he tried kicking him away. Unfortunately it worked against him. Instead of going away from him, Ranma used the foot as a springboard to aid in his climb up the Zentraedi's body.

Foot, knee, hip, wrist, and chest. Ranma was helped immensely by the Zentraedi's armor. From the chest, Ranma leapt up, and with all his strength and power, even more than he ever used against Ryoga, he threw a punch, aimed at the chin.

Unfortunately he didn't know the strength of the face shield of the helmet. All that happened was the spider-web cracking of the shield. The next thing he had to worry about was the fall back to the floor. This was the highest he would have ever fallen. But he would not have to worry about falling straight down, for the Zentraedi swatted him away like a bug.

With the add momentum Ranma went flying into a gun rack, and guns fell upon him.

Lisa gasped, shocked by what just happened. Unfortunately with the gasp, she released her grasp of the digicam. When she realized she did that, it was too late to do anything about it but watch it crash onto the floor. Because of this she started to sob.

The Zentraedi soldier smiled behind that spider-webbed face shield. He was sure to receive a commendation for capturing two of the Micronians, maybe more. It was short lived for he heard the sound of laser fire. That was a scant second before it pierced through the face shield.

Prefect head shot-instant death. It was only the remains of the face shield that hid the blood. The body instantly fell back onto the wall.

Ranma dropped the gun that was many-times his size. There was no need for another blast. He knew the soldier was dead. In pain, he ran over to the body, which had fallen down like a chopped tree, to see if Lisa was okay.

When he made it there, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Zentraedi fell to his left; Lisa was in the right hand, so she was okay. Then Ranma heard some sobbing. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Lisa had somehow been hurt in the fall. "Lisa, what's the matter?" he asked, as he pried the fingers off of her.

"Ranma, go on without me," she replied.

Now that had Ranma concerned. In the past months he had seen tons of war movies, and he knew the only time anyone said something like was when they were mortally wounded.

"Lisa, where does it hurt the most?"

"N-Nothing hurts."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I-I lost the digicam."

Ranma wanted to bang his head against the Zentraedi's finger. He couldn't believe he'd showed some concern towards Lisa for something so trivial. "Lisa, it's all right."

"No, it's not," she retorted. "I can't complete my mission."

By this time Ranma could hear in the distances the steps of more soldiers heading their way. Freeing Lisa, he told she was going to have to live without it. "…but we have to go now."

It wasn't long after Ranma said this that they heard the shouts of the Zentraedi soldier. Taking Lisa's hand, Ranma pulled her out and took off, not caring if he dragged her or not. Where they were was no longer safe. And for a while, he was dragging her. When Lisa didn't like the rag doll treatment, she started running by her own means.

Unlike the first time where they ran to hide, this time they were running for their lives. There were soldiers on their tails. Ranma ran at a higher rate than before. Now that Lisa was moving by her own means, a gap started to develop between the two, but he wasn't doing it on purpose. He was subconsciously performing the Saotome Final Attack, making him much faster than her.

Lisa could clearly see the gap opening, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was running as fast as she could, and the gap was still growing. Finally she screamed for Ranma to wait up.

Ranma glanced back and saw the gap. That's when he realized what he was doing. There was only one thing he could do in order to keep the rate that he was going. He was going to have to carry Lisa. He should have done it at first instead of just grabbing her hand.

Lisa was rather surprised when Ranma came back and picked her up. It was just another first that day. First there was her first kiss; now a guy was carrying her in such an intimate way, the classic cradle position. Not realizing what she was doing, she rested her head on Ranma's shoulder as he flew down the corridor. If her conscious mind hadn't realized it yet, it had to be asleep, for the subconscious mind had definitely fallen in love with the guy whose arms were holding her body close to his.

Ranma quickly returned to the rate of speed he had before picking up Lisa. He instantly noticed she was lighter than Akane. He put that information aside as he looked for a place to hide. However there was not a single corridor to turn towards or room to hide in.

Ranma could see there was a section of the corridor with no light. The closer they got, Ranma could notice that part of the corridor was different than the rest. In fact he could tell that the floor was to become a bridge in the section. An idea came to him as he realized that this was his opportunity to hide was on the horizon.

So in to the dark he went, carrying Lisa all the while. That's when he realized a most fatal of errors. He had planned to jump and catch onto any possible dangling wires. But he was thinking on human scales. He realized this when he jumped for them. Coming up just short, Ranma and Lisa came back to the gangway, but now they had to worry about laser fire. Dancing around the laser fire, Ranma started his way over to the other side. What Ranma didn't realize, by the Zentraedi shooting at them, they were shooting out the gangway, too. When the floor came out from underneath, Ranma lost his hold on Lisa, and another gap formed as they fell to who knows where.

* * *

_Ranma and Nodoka made their way to the Tendo Dojo. They had returned to Tokyo after visiting relatives. It had been nice to see his uncle after all those years. Ranma had waited for this day since the two had started visiting relatives. He hadn't seen Akane in three weeks, and with that absence, he fully realized what he had. He'd missed all the girls whose affection he held (well, maybe not Kodachi or Shampoo whenever she was trying something sneaky), but it was Akane he missed the most._

_Somehow from all of their fighting, he had fallen in love with her over Ukyo and Shampoo. She wasn't the cutest. That title went to Ukyo. She wasn't the sexy. That definitely went to Shampoo. Whatever she had, he had fallen in love with it._

_And today, with the heirloom his grandparents had given him, he was going to show his love to her. He was finally going to commit to just her._

_Ranma and Nodoka stopped in front of the gateway of a cement wall. Next to the gate hung a sign proclaiming this site as the Tendo Dojo._

"_Well, we're here, Ranma," Nodoka said. She knew what her son was about to do. It was something she could take pride in. Knowing the difficulties that her husband and his friend had in getting at least one of the two teens to commit to the engagement, she would gloat over them since it had taken her a month to do something they couldn't do in seven._

"_I know, mother," Ranma replied, hiding his anticipation._

_They walked the path to the front door, which Nodoka knocked. They waited a moment before the door opened. Behind it stood Kasumi, and by her expression, she seemed surprised to see them._

"_A-Auntie Saotome. Ranma. It's good to see you," she said._

"_And it's good to see you, too," Nodoka said as they entered the house._

"_We weren't expecting 'til tomorrow."_

"_We got back early."_

"_Father and Uncle Saotome are inside, and Akane's in the dojo," she informed them. She knew they were who the two would want to see the most._

_Nodoka followed Kasumi into the house, and with that bit of information, Ranma took off for the dojo. He made it there, and as expected she was breaking bricks. He did nothing to distract her from what she was doing. She didn't know he was there until she went to get more bricks to make new stacks._

_When she saw him, she went over and gave Ranma a hug, which quite surprised him. "Ranma, when did you get here?" she asked as she stepped back from him._

"_Oh, just now," he said, trying to sound nonchalant._

_With a "glad to see you," they started talking about their respective vacations. Akane talked about returning to the ski resort, and Ranma told her about meeting his grandparents and his uncle and visiting a Shinto temple down south._

_Mentioning his grandparents, Ranma went into his plan. He started talking about how much he wished she could have gone with him and how much he'd missed her._

_Unnoticed by the two, everyone in the house had made their way out to the dojo. They all ended up there for various reasons, but one singular reason was to stop what was about to happen._

_Akane was clueless as to what Ranma was getting at. At least not until Ranma got on one knee and brought out a box from his pants pocket. And then Ranma said it._

"_Akane Tendo, w-will you marry me?" With that Ranma opened the box and present her with a diamond engagement._

_Gasps could be heard as all the Tendo girls got a glimpse of the diamond. It was a big as the ring itself, and with the light in the dojo, it sparkled. Jokingly, Nabiki put on a pair of sunglasses._

_Ranma waited for Akane's answer. By the looks of it, she was so startled by the proposal that a tear started to run down her face. Ranma thought this as a good sign._

_It was a sign but not the sign he was looking for._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, Ranma," was the first thing out of Akane's mouth. And she truly was. At one time this was what she wanted but not now. "But I can't."_

"_W-W-What?"_

"_I can't."_

"_B-But I love you."_

"_And I love you too, but I'm married now."_

_And right on cue, Ranma noticed a wedding band on her left ring finger. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared behind Akane and wrapped its arms around her._

"_Akane, no!" Ranma said._

"_Ranma…"_

"_Ranma…"_

"_Ranma…"_

* * *

"Ranma."

Ranma heard his name and woke to picture of beauty. With his eyes watery, his vision of Lisa Hayes, her hair now wet and straight and face full of concern, was more beautiful than a smiling Akane, which was what he based beauty on.

"Ranma."

"Huh," he responded.

"Oh good, you're okay," Lisa sighed.

"Why do you say that?" he asked as he sat up from laying position.

"It's just that we fell into that pool of water, and you've been out for a half hour."

Ranma looked over to his right and saw the pool of water. Next he looked down at himself and sighed in relief that he was still a man.

"Thank you for saving me," he said next. Lisa looked surprised. Ranma went on to explain that she most surely had to fish him out of the pool while he was unconscious.

"Say where do you think we are?" he asked.

"We must be in a water recycling chamber."

They both looked around and saw that the place was definitely low in the maintenance department.

"They sure like to let things get run down," Ranma stated. "Almost like they don't know how to fix this stuff."

With the snap of her fingers, Lisa understood what that meant. She was surprised she hadn't of it sooner. Ranma looked at her strangely, wondering why a grin appeared on her face suddenly. Her expression reminded Ranma of Kodachi whenever she laughed.

"C-Can you stop smiling like that? It's kinda freaking me out," Ranma said nervously.

Lisa dropped one expression and gave him a confused one. At that point Ranma asked why she was grinning.

"Don't you get? Haven't you noticed that we've have not seen a single technician? They're all soldiers."

"Uh, yeah!"

"Maybe they only know combat, and maybe they don't know to repair their equipment. And I bet their Battlepods are simply to operate."

Ranma shook his head in agreement.

"So now they're all cloned soldiers?"

"Yeah! Why would you make clones to repair things? I bet all they know is war," Lisa went on to continue. Then she became a little solemn. "In many ways, they're just like me."

She caught the perplexed look Ranma gave her. She continued talking. She told him about the fact she comes from a military family, so essentially war was the only thing that she'd ever known. What struck Ranma was the quote she gave. "Only where there's battle being waged is there life being lived." It was actually Lisa quoting her father, but it was relevant to Ranma.

"Why do you say that?" Lisa asked.

"I didn't grow up in a military, but my life has also been nothing but fighting," Ranma stated. "I've trained since I could walk to best martial artist to ever live. My pops took me all over Asia for the ten years to train under various masters. So I've always been fighting to improve.

"One of the principles of my school is to never step away from a challenge. So before coming to Macross Island, all I did was defend the honor of my school. Ya know, be its champion."

"I guess we're a little alike," responded Lisa.

"Maybe. But I'm no head of the class material."

"How did you know about that?" Lisa asked. She didn't know the pilots knew of her academic history.

"Oh, all the pilots know," replied Ranma. "Some of them call you Supergirl."

That's all Lisa needed. She was already chastised by Claudia for that, and now she knew the pilots were talking behind her back about it. She remained silent, not having anything else to say.

After a while, Ranma thought it was best that they get moving. They still needed to find the others and make their way back to the SDF-1.

As they walked, Lisa remembered that she wanted to ask Ranma something. "Ranma, do you know why it looked like you phased between a female's body and a guy's body when I took you out of the water?"

Ranma froze. He wasn't as fortunate as he thought. It had been so long since the curse activated in front of anyone outside of his family and the Lynns.

"Uh, well. Uh, do you believe in magic?"

He looked at Lisa to see her reaction. She was a little put off by that statement. What was that suppose to mean? So she just started walking again, thinking that she was just going to get a lie as a response.

"You could've come up with a better lie. Or do you say that to all the girls, like Akane?"

Ranma had started to follow her but stopped a second time. First of all, her comment came out of left field, totally unexpected. Secondly, how did she know about Akane?

"How do you know about her?" he asked.

"'Akane, No!' You were saying it while you were passed out. Is she something special to you?"

Ranma laughed at that while scratching the back of his head. He didn't know he'd talked while unconscious. "You can say that," Ranma replied.

Deep down Lisa hoped he wouldn't say that. "Well at least you have someone to go back to. Me, there's just the job."

"That ain't right. You're too cute for a guy not to notice you."

Ranma received that same reaction from Lisa as he did with Ukyo that first time. Lisa, herself, couldn't explain why she reacted that way. Before she could comment, she heard Ranma mention something about seeing a way out.

Sure enough, there was an opening before them. As they moved closer, they could feel a breeze.

When they arrived at the opening, they did not like what they saw, more Zentraedi battle cruisers. Seeing them was demoralizing. The possibility that there were at least a thousand on this side of ship made one wonder how many there actually were.

The two stood there and marveled at the sight until Ranma heard the noise of someone coming from behind them. Ranma quickly ushered Lisa over to the side and hoped the Zentraedi hadn't spotted them. Their heart rates went up as the sound of boot steps grew closer.

Then their growing anxiety diminished when they heard, "All right, we made it out." It was the voice of Max Sterling. Ben was most definitely with him.

"Hey, guys, you finally made it," Ranma said as he and Lisa stepped out from the side.

The reunion feeling was brief as Max and Ben caught a glimpse of the ships. The reaction from Max was greater than Ben, mainly because Ben already knew what was outside.

Lisa was the first one to suggest that they needed to get off the ship. The statement brought Max back to the here and now as they all needed to figure out a way to get away from their present location and hopefully back to their solar system.

"Hey, it looks like that ship's gettin' loaded up to leave," Ranma said as he pointed out to what made out to be a conveyer connected from this ship to another kilometers to the side.

A half hour later, they were on the other ship. Quickly they found hiding spaces amongst Battlepod storage. Fifteen minutes after that, the ship they were now in left Dolza's flagship and proceeded out to another cruiser.

* * *

Azonia sat in her command chair on the bridge of her cruiser. She was preparing to go deploy into the area that Commander Breetai had returned from. She was looking forward to this tour of duty. Replacing someone of Commander Breetai's stature was a monumental task. Going into a war zone against an enemy that forced Commander Breetai to lose his command made it a dangerous task.

On the other hand, excitement ran through her veins. It was a task made for her, being the most accomplished female commander. She and her all women crew were well known for their tenacity in battle. Though the Micronians weren't to find this out, as her primary mission was to contain them.

She also was tasked with delivering spies onto Zor's ship. The method of delivering them walked onto the bridge. Miriya Parino of the Quadrono Battalion was the ace of all Zentraedi aces. There were none her equal on the battlefield amongst the Zentraedi race or their enemies. Of course none of the latter were alive. She made sure of that whenever someone told her of an enemy ace.

What she didn't know, there was no equal when it came to her beauty. If she were human, she was supermodel material. Furthermore she could pass for human more easily than three spies that were to infiltrate the SDF-1, as she had the right bone structure to go along with the skin color of a Caucasian. Her long green hair and green eyes only enhanced her appeal.

She had been told not too long ago the purpose she was being sent out with this task force. And she was not happy about it. "Delivering spies onto the SDF-1 is hardly using my talents effectively."

The blue haired Azonia did not like the way Miriya said that.

"After all, I'm a combat pilot, not some delivery drone," Miriya added.

"Stop you bickering," Azonia snapped back. She and Miriya weren't on the best of terms. Forever rivals, Azonia held a position over Miriya solely because of the fact that Miriya preferred the thrills of combat. "Lord Dolza has deemed it a mission of vital importance."

There was nothing Miriya could say. To do so would show displeasure with their commander in chief. Azonia knew she had Miriya in a bind.

"If you don't have anything else to say, prepare yourself for folding."

* * *

Ranma and gang were in the Battlepod hold when the fold operation started. Lisa had been busy trying to motivate the men into doing something. Ranma was resting on the floor. It had been a long day. He was tired and hadn't eaten in hours. It was time to conserve some energy. Max was doing the same thing, having spent so many hours in the cockpit. Ben just talked to Max.

That was until Lisa became more assertive, having checked her chronometer to see another day and a half had already passed. Clearing her throat, she told Ranma to get up. This time she called him by rank. It got him up, but very slow and deliberate, not the way Lisa wished.

"Don't you think we should be planning our escape for when the fold operation is over?" she asked.

"Already thought of one," Ranma replied. "We simply use the materials available to us. Namely one of the Battlepods in this room."

"Well, do you think we can just hop into one and be able to fly it? A day and a half has already passed."

"Don't worry, Lisa. If we are headed back to the SDF-1, with three ace pilots here, we should able to pilot one of those things in no time."

"Boy, Saotome, that was so funny I forgot to laugh," Lisa said dryly.

Ranma glared at her. He didn't like the tone in which that was said. It reminded him of Nabiki when she was blackmailing him.

"Okay. Okay. We'll get to learnin' the controls of the Battlepod," Ranma said.

Within a half an hour, Ranma had them all inside a Battlepod. By the time Lisa's chronometer read two and a half days, the three pilots were busy figuring out the controls. They kept this up until the chronometer read ten days, and the ship came out of hyperspace fold.

"Hurry, Ranma. We're here."

Ranma didn't need to be told to hurry. Positioned at the flight controls, he figured things out an hour ago. Max had himself on the lasers, while Ben was on communications.

"Okay, here we go," Ranma said.

The Battlepod came to life. The Battlepod's view screen came online, presenting the escapees a view of two Zentraedi soldiers standing in the hold.

"Oh-no, we've been spotted," Lisa cried out.

Ranma immediately ordered Max to take them out. Before the two soldiers realized a Battlepod was active, Max fired and killed them. With a couple of well-placed laser blasts, a hole was created, which sucked them out into space.

* * *

Minutes before defolding, in another part of the ship, a Zentraedi soldier wheeled a cart into another bay, where there was a large capsule. When the cart came to a stop, the top lowered, and from it stepped three small figures. Make that the three micronized Zentraedi spies. As micronization wasn't common, the spies wore robes of cloth, tied by string and no footwear.

The soldier went over to the capsule. Opening it, he had the three spies to get in. The capsule was padded and had body restrains so that the spies wouldn't come to any harm.

"When we exit hyperspace, you'll be taken to the Micronian vessel by Miriya Parino," the soldier said.

That excited the three spies. It was great honor that their mission was deemed worthy enough that the great Miriya Parino was brought in to deliver them to the SDF-1.

At the same time on Azonia's ships, Miriya, suited up in a female battle suit, made her way to the bay holding the female power armor. The power armor was the primary vehicle for the Quadrono units. Much different looking than the Battlepod, the power armor was humanoid in shape with an assortment of missiles in its backpack and laser on its hands.

Miriya made her way to the unit being prepped for her mission. The female tech promptly told her everything was ready as Miriya walked towards it. Miriya acknowledged her a hand gesture but essentially ignored her. She wasn't there for some chatter.

She hopped into the power armor as the defolding process ended. Securing herself into the unit, Miriya was set to head out when Azonia appeared on a view screen.

"We'll draw their attention so that you can complete your mission," she said. Before she went off she said, "May you win all your battles."

Miriya did not reply to Azonia. It was standard saying for the Zentraedi before going into battle. However since Miriya was on an unbelievable win streak, she paid no attention.

She stomped through the bay and out the hatch into space, where she saw Azonia's diversion in the form of a battle progress before her. With said battle in the distance, Miriya launched into space and zoomed over to the adjacent ship where the capsule holding the three spies shot out and ended in her hands perfectly. She completely ignored the stray Battlepod that wandered away from the ship.

With capsule in hand, Miriya made her way to the SDF-1 but not taking the most direct way. Though she was under orders not to engage the Micronians, she had to show off. With the maneuverability of the power armor, she zigged and zagged her way past Veritechs engaged in combat, making them wonder what they just saw, including Roy Fokker and Rick Hunter.

Miriya was next to the SDF-1 so fast that she hadn't been picked up on radar. Ripping a hole into the hull, she deposited the capsule, to the celebration of the spies, and made her way again through the chaos for battle and back to Azonia's ship.

* * *

Ranma did the best he could to avoid being hit by a Veritech. That was a risk of piloting an enemy war machine during a battle, though none of them expected to end up in the middle of a battle. The fact that they made it back to their home system was a miracle. Even though he was trying his best not to get hit, Ben and Max helped the cause of the RDF by taking out a Zentraedi vessel here and there. Through all this, Lisa worked to tune the radio onto any of the frequencies.

It didn't take long before they heard the sounds of an old song from Earth.

"_...And I'm in so deep. You know I'm such a fool for you. _  
_You got me wrapped around your finger, ah, ha, ha.  
Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to, do you have to,  
Do you have to let it linger?_

You know I'm such a fool for you.  
You got me wrapped around your finger, ah, ha, ha.  
Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to, do you have to,  
Do you have to let it linger?"

They could tell that it wasn't being sung by its original artist. It was Ranma who commented (though it was supposed to be to himself), "I can't believe she allowed that one to be released."

"What do you mean by that, Ranma?" Lisa asked.

"I know who's singing that song. That's all," he commented. It happened to be one of the covers that Minmei wanted her to sing. Ranma ended up was singing the lead vocals because Minmei could not figure out how to do the song justice.

"Does that mean it's coming from the SDF-1?" she asked next.

It was a valid question since they constantly picked up radio waves that escaped from Earth.

"Yeah," Ranma answered plainly. "It's Minmei and her friend, Ranko Hasegawa."

Everyone else in the Battlepod was excited while Ranma tried to concentrate on not getting them killed. While Lisa tuned to one of the command channels, Ranma began noticing the withdrawal of Zentraedi troops.

Right when it appeared that they were the only Battlepod in space, Lisa was able to get one of the military channels. It wasn't the command channel, but it would do nonetheless. "Please respond, SDF-1. This is Lieutenant Commander Lisa Hayes and members of the Vermilion Squadron. We are currently in an enemy Battlepod drifting in your airspace trying to make contact with home base. Do you read? Over."

With the communication device off, she said, "Do you think they heard us, Ranma?"

Ranma surely hoped they did because three Battloids converged on them. They soon realized this was their answer as the Battloids pushed them towards the three hostages and a stowaway were on their way home.

* * *

Author's notes

The song Ranma recognizes is Linger by the Cranberries.


	11. Homebound revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 11: Homebound

* * *

"Man, I can't wait to get this uniform off," said Kim.

It had been twelve hours since the recovery of Lisa and members of Vermilion Squadron. Kim was walking back with Vanessa and Sammie to their quarters, having just finished their shift.

"Yeah, mine's feels like it could walk on its own," comment Sammie.

That garnered laughter amongst the three girls.

"Say, what do you wanna do?" Sammie asked next.

"I don't know," replied Kim. "Probably rest."

"Yeah, resting sounds nice," Vanessa agreed.

Sammie didn't like that idea. They hadn't gone out together in quite some time. She too was tired, but if Kim wasn't going to be busy with Lt. Hunter, she wanted the three to do something. "Come on, guys. Let's go out. We haven't hung out in like seventeen days."

Sammie's plea made the others realize that as three, they haven't hung out in awhile. It had been mostly Vanessa and Sammie, but sometimes it would be Sammie and Kim or Vanessa and Kim, ever since Kim and Rick's relationship turned serious.

Upon further thought, Kim thought it was a good idea. The thought alone seemed to energize her. "I think it'll be fun," she added with a little spin.

"Well, what do you wanna do?" Vanessa asked as they entered the women's barracks.

* * *

Not to far off, and unseen by the three women, the three Zentraedi spies squatted behind some stray rubble that still littered the SDF-1. After getting out of their capsule, they had made their way towards the inner parts of the ship, using diagrams from the last time any Zentraedi step foot on it. Since so much had changed, it took them twelve hours to find anything.

"All right, we've finally found something," said Rico in Zentraedi. The three were given a quick language instruction by Exedore before their scouting mission and went over them during the fold operation. Even with all this, it was natural for them to speak their own language around each other.

"Yeah, so now we can start spying," added Bron.

"Unfortunately, we can't go out like this," Konda said, indicating their present state of dress.

The others looked at their robes and decided that their look wouldn't cut it. Right then the three females came back out of the building in different uniforms than when they entered. Rico, Konda, and Bron were very observant of this. Once the Micronian females were out of view, they quickly ran over and entered the building. Thirty minutes later, the door opened and out came Rico and Konda, wearing women's jeans and sweaters, a roll neck for Rico and a turtleneck for Konda. Bron followed them out a few seconds later. Unlike the others, he came out wearing a blouse, skirt, and knee high stockings.

"I had a hard time finding anything that would fit me," he commented. None of them realized they were wearing feminine clothing. What made things worst was the fact that none of them knew most men do not wear skirts, especially since they didn't know what a skirt was. However it didn't matter to them. All they knew was they could do their job of spying.

* * *

Ranma, Lisa, Max and Ben presently sat on one side of a table. On the other side facing them were the highest ranked officers on the SDF-1 with Captain Gloval sitting at the end of the table and a recording device placed on the middle of the table.

This was the scene for the debriefing of the four officers previously listed as "missing in action." They had told what happened during the early part of the mission to include going onto the Zentraedi flagship to rescue the Cat's Eye. They recalled the hyperspace fold experience. Presently both Lisa and Ranma were reconstructing the number of Zentraedi ships they saw as they headed into Dolza's mountainous ship. Ranma was continually adding ships since he had an eidetic memory. He also added the ships that were inside Dolza's ship.

Once they were finished, the computer analyzed the information to provide an accurate count of the enemy's strength.

"Proceed on, Commander Hayes," Gloval said.

Lisa stood and continued on, picking up with their interrogation and ending with their escape and retrieval by the trio of Battloids. Once done, she took her seat.

"That's quite an experience," said Major Aldershot from G3 Operations.

"And do you concur with this, Lt. Saotome?" Gloval asked.

Ranma gave his affirmation to Lisa's account of the events, though he wished he could have taken back the part about them kissing. It would be his luck that Akane would find out about it through this debriefing.

The count of ships wasn't finished yet, so they had an additional report from Max on his experience since he was separated from the two commanding officers for most of the time. The computer gave them the ship count before he finished, estimating the number to be four to five million ships. The number shocked high ranking officers.

"There's no way a species could have accumulated that many vessel or that sort of power!" exclaimed the security officer. "Even if they could, how could you explain Cmdr. Hayes' analysis of their society?"

"I must agree with that," said the intel officer. "Besides, how do we know if all of those ships are even operational? I mean it's quite possible that they allowed Cmdr. Hayes and her team to see those ships for psychological effects. In fact, I bet they allowed them to escape, to provide this shocking information."

Ben didn't like hearing that. He was halfway out of his seat in protest when he felt a hand on his forearm that forced him back into it. Looking to that side, he found it was Ranma, surprising him to the fact that Ranma was stronger than he looked.

As Ben was planted in his seat, Ranma used that leverage to rise to his feet. "Sirs, if you remember, Cmdr. Hayes stated that the Zentraedi are able to manipulate their body size. I believe that alone should prove they have the capability to possess such a power. Not to mention, we don't know how many Zentraedi there are.

"Also I think there is something important that the commander failed to mention in her report. During the interrogation, they kept talking about us possessing something called Protoculture."

Eyes went to Lisa, seeking answers for the reason she failed to mention this. Lisa, on the other hand, was red with anger. She was angered that Ranma embarrassed her, not even thinking of the fact that he was correct in the fact that she did forget about it.

"And what exactly is this 'Protoculture'?" Gloval asked.

"I don't know, sir," Ranma replied. "But whatever it is, we believe it might be what powers their machines. Something that helps them function with their Robotechnology."

Lisa was quick to add, "Also they believe Protoculture is the highest form of science in the universe. And by believing we have it, they feel we possess its deepest secrets."

Lisa's quick thinking saved some face amongst those present. However all the goodwill that Ranma had achieved on the Zentraedi ship went out of the window.

Add that to the information already given the situation appeared graver than it was. Just the thought of the Zentraedi armada coming into Earth space, in pursuit of something he had no clue about sent a shiver down Gloval's spine. This was something that definitely needed to be told to those heading Earth's government.

When he made that announcement, Colonel Maistroff, the second highest ranking officer on the SDF-1, said that he'd get a coded message set up for sending to Earth headquarters. Gloval surprised everyone when he sternly told Maistroff he would do no such thing.

There were several moments of silences after Gloval's statement. The SDF-1 was on the cusp of achieving Earth orbit. It didn't take long to realize that some of the Zentraedi power structure was missing this past month, as the SDF-1 was able to move from beyond Mars, nearly achieving a lunar orbit of Earth. Though it had been easier to move, the Zentraedi surrounding them still made their progress difficult.

Though the statement was shocking, if anyone thought about it for a moment, it was quite logical. They couldn't send another communiqué after learning that the Zentraedi had been jamming other communiqués for so long during their attempts to get home. The information they now had was too sensitive to be intercepted.

Standing up and taking a puff from his lit pipe, Gloval said, "At present we are two days from Earth at full thrust." Then he started walking around the table. "We'll break through this Zentraedi blockade and make our way home."

"But what do we do once we make it home?" asked Maistroff. _Assuming we making it through that blockade_.

"We'll await orders," replied Gloval, returning to his seat.

Facing the assembled group, Gloval declared the debriefing over, dismissing Lisa and the other escapees. The four of them stood at attention and saluted. Before they left, Gloval gave them seventy-two hour leave and informed them of a welcome back celebration tomorrow. With that said the four turned to the door and made their way out of the room.

Before Lisa left, she was stopped by Gloval.

"Personally, commander, I believe what you reported to be accurate. Though…"

"I understand, captain," replied Lisa. "And I appreciate that you believe in us."

Nothing further was said, as Lisa stepped out the door. Gloval rejoined the debriefing staff and started planning to break the blockade.

* * *

Outside the door, the guys had waited for Lisa. It was more of a respect thing than anything else. They had just spent the last twelve hours going through decontamination, medical examinations and finally that debriefing. It was only natural that they left as a group since they just spent the past "thirty-six hours" together.

"Boy, it sure sounds like they didn't trust what we said," Max said to Ranma.

"Well I sure wouldn't believe what we said," was Ranma's response. "I mean comin' back and tellin' them that there's close to five million more ships out there."

"I shouldn't've let the camera fall from my hands," Lisa said to herself.

"Awe, quit your griping," said Ben, bringing his arms around Max and Ranma. "Besides why should we complain? We got promotions out it. Me and Max are no longer ensigns; you're a full lieutenant now; not to mention the commander's one step closer to captain. Also we just got three whole days to ourselves."

Ranma had to laugh at that. Take it that Ben would look at things in this manner.

Soon the four made it out of the building, and at that point they all went their separate ways.

* * *

The three Zentraedi spies were on an elevator after ransacking one of the female barracks for clothing. When the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened, Rico, Konda, and Bron were introduced to a cacophony of sound and color that was the ground level of Macross City. It was like nothing they had seen before.

EVE had provided the hold with a nighttime scene, so buildings were lit by flashing neon lights. That was compounded with the street lamps and headlights from electric cars. The fact that there were cars on the streets was even more surprising to the three, having never seen anything like them before.

Once off the elevator, they couldn't believe the number of Micronians walking around. They walked down a street and took it all in. As they walked, Rico asked for the military purpose of all this. Konda replied that he couldn't find a reason why there were so many people around doing things that obviously weren't military related. As soon as he finished that statement, he walked into a female, who had walked between Rico and Bron believing that the other guy would move out of the way.

Konda backed away, embarrassed that he ran into a female. It was his first physical contact with a female. One thing he knew, it hurt when the female's hand made contact with his face. He watched as she walked away in a huff, calling him a pervert.

"What is a pervert?" he asked.

The two others looked at him with a perplexed look. It wasn't one of the words that Exedore had in the "learning the Micronian language" program.

"Look!" exclaimed Bron suddenly, pointing across the street.

Across the street sat a man and two women eating at a table in an outdoor restaurant. This was the first time they saw something like this. Seeing males and females interacting with each other was the most startling thing they had seen. Starting with Konda's up close and personal experience, the three began noticing more of this interaction. There were the three eating, a couple sitting together, and another couple holding hands as they walked down the street.

The most frightening of all this was the male and female teenagers rollerblading down the street. So reckless they were in the minds of the spies that Bron ended up on the ground, unable to avoid the two like Rico and Konda.

Rico and Konda quickly rushed to Bron's side to see if he was okay. As they helped him up, they began to hear the whispers of those walking passed them.

"You know, I think they might suspect something," Konda whispered to the other.

They glanced around to see if Konda's suspicions were correct. They hoped they weren't. There was no telling what the Micronians might do to them if they were caught.

Again they heard the whispering but failed to link what it was about.

"Things seem okay to me," said Bron, breaking the silence. He stood up, and while spreading out the skirt, he went on to say, "But I know one thing. I feel rather uncomfortable about wearing this. It's allowing the air to pass through my legs, providing a cold feeling."

Through it all, there were still whispers. Finally it was Rico who picked upon what was being said when he heard a female say, "I can't believe a grown man would go out in public wearing a skirt."

That comment was followed by several others. Since they were naïve about Micronian uniform, Rico started to get the impression that what Bron was wearing was an improper uniform for Micronian males. He quickly relayed this to the others. If Bron knew how to express emotions, he would definitely feel embarrassed. He would have felt it even more when the Micronians around them started pointing and laughing.

As the leader of the group, Rico suggested that they get out of there. So off running away from their present location they went, and into a public restroom they ended. Only Bron was directed into the women's room by a man standing next to the opening to the men's room. Unfortunately his venture in there was short-lived as the women already in there screamed and attacked him for intruding in their restroom. Bron was able to get away but not without the women causing some injury to him (fingernail tracks across the face and torn clothing).

* * *

Ranma had been out since the second his head hit his pillow. His body had reason to do so, as technically he had been up for close to twenty days with little sleep. There was no telling how long he would sleep since he was on leave.

Of course he intended to meet with Rick to debrief on the happenings of the squadron. If what his uncle had told him was true, the squadron was given ten pilots while he was away. However that was really the furthest thing in his mind right now.

Unfortunately any further sleep would be for not. Around 10:00am, the door to his room (different room than the one given to him first out of the "academy") opened, revealing a woman of average height with short hair silhouetted by the hallway lights with a bucket in one hand. Into the room she walked, and as she got closer to the bed, the bucket moved into tossing its contents position. When she stood over the bed, she was hesitant to dump its contents on the unsuspecting Ranma. It wasn't part of her nature. Well it was something she hadn't done in years. In the end doubt did not stop the bucket from being tilted passed the point of no return, and cold water spilled onto Ranma.

Ranma instantly woke up, and momentarily forgetting where she was spouted, "What cha do that for, ya uncute tomboy."

The woman laughed as she watched Ranma thrash herself awake but stopped after the comments.

"Young lady, there is no need such language," she said.

Ranma instantly recognized the voice. "M-M-Mom!" She turned on the lamp on the night stand. She was surprised her mother with her hair as red as her. It had also been cut. Ranma didn't remember how long it actually was before since her mother had wore it in a bun. Now the length was a bit longer than what she could remember of Akane's hair but a bit short than Nabiki. It made her appear younger. It wasn't like she was old in the first place being only 35. However it now she looked like she might have been late 20s.

"M-Mom!" she said again, now realizing that she was in fact female.

"Yes."

"What are you doing here? And why do you look different?"

Nodoka explained her appearance by saying she was out of hair dye. It was a certain brand that gave her the right colorization. Then she went on to chastise her daughter for not telling her that she was back. Nodoka had to learn about it from the same source as when she found out Ranma was missing. It was Roy's authorization that allowed her onto the base.

"I'm sorry, mom," Ranma apologized. "They had us quarantined for twelve hours then debriefed for another two."

That seemed to sate Nodoka's need for information. With that she scooped Ranma into her arms and gave her the second biggest hug she could remember.

"I am just so happy you came back to me," she said, giving Ranma a kiss on the cheek. "And I bet Minmei will be also. Her life has been a mess since we were told you were missing. She just now started to do things."

Ranma was a little confused by this comment. In her mind, Minmei was the biggest thing to hit Macross City. She should be bigger than life now that her album was out and had done her debut concert. Unfortunately Ranma didn't know her little sister put off her concert, and that was finally rescheduled to take place today. That was until Nodoka told her.

* * *

Three hours later, Ranma still hadn't been able to speak with Rick as he spent most of the past three hours with his mother. Now he was in uniform, standing on the darkened stage of the Star Bowl with Lisa, Max and Ben. It was supposed to be time for their celebration. Instead they were there. They stood, left to right, highest rank to lowest. Ben was fidgeting on the end, being rather uncomfortable on the stage. Though the light in the amphitheatre were off, he could still sense the crowd out there.

"You should relax," Max whispered. "I thought you wanted praise like this."

That was true but this was a bit too much for Ben.

"I feel like I'm on a meat rack," Ranma commented.

"Why would you say that, Ranma?" Lisa asked, no longer upset with him.

"We're like on display for all those to see. I thought this was suppose to be a simple reception amongst our military peers."

Before anyone could laugh at that, the stage lights came on and the music started to play, and from stage left walked out Minmei, carrying four bouquets of flowers. This was to be her debut concert, but at the last minute, RDF officials asked her management group if they could use the moment for publicity. They were much obliged to do so since they were beginning to like the freedoms they perceived to have, now that there were thoughts of not answering to Minmei's "big brother."

However the group was surprised when stage lights came on and presented Ranma along with the others who were declared missing earlier in the month. Minmei was surprised too, but her surprise soon turned into elation. This was the first time she knew of Ranma's return. She would have dropped everything to rush to him and give him a hug much like Nodoka. However she remembered that she was on stage and couldn't do that.

As Minmei walked, an announcer came over the PA. "Welcome to the debut concert of Miss Macross, Lynn Minmei. Before we start things, we would like to introduce four of our RDF heroes who recently returned from a top secret mission.

"First is Commander Lisa Hayes, the first officer of the SDF-1 and our number one space heroine."

A spotlight shined on Lisa.

"Next is Lieutenant Ranma Saotome, commander of the renowned Vermilion Squadron whose piloting exploits are well known. And he happens to be the older brother of our Miss Macross, Lynn Minmei."

The spotlight moved to Ranma. Instantly there were screams from various women in the crowd because of his looks. Ranma could hear some of them profess their love for him, which caused Ranma to blush.

Ranma couldn't believe he was introduced as Minmei's older brother. Only a few knew they weren't really siblings, but it was part of the old adage that once one person believes it to be so, so will everyone else.

"And finally there are Lieutenants (j.g.) Maximillian Sterling and Ben Dixon. To these four, let us express our deepest gratitude."

That garnered a huge cheer from the crowd. And in the crowd were the three Zentraedi spies. They had been drawn to the Star Bowl because of the number of Micronians migrating to it. When things started, their initial thoughts were it was some type of propaganda rally. They were really surprised to see the four hostages from Commander Breetai's ship, as they didn't know about the escape.

The announcer continued as the cheers died down. "And now they will be congratulated by our Miss Macross."

Minmei first walked to Lisa, giving her a bouquet of flowers and congratulations. Next moved to Ranma, and trying to be as delicate with the three remaining bouquets, she gave him a hug that rivaled his mother's and kiss in the cheek.

"Don't leave me like that," she said.

Even though the men heard that Ranma was her "brother," they still booed over the kiss on the cheek. It was rather unexpected reaction to Minmei. Not showing how upset she was, she stepped away and calmed down the crowd. Once the crowd was calm, she went on to congratulate Max and Ben, giving both of them kisses, in an attempt to show no favoritism.

With the congratulations over she stepped to the center of the stage, while the four escapees, they were given chairs.

"And to show further show my appreciation, I dedicate my first song to my brother and his companions."

With that, she started singing the first song on her album.

"_Whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!_

_My boyfriend is a pilot._

_Shining and making a rapid descent..._

_The jet engine going BOOM, a rapid ascent,_

_As it makes a long a long tail of jet stream cloud._

_Two hearts come together._

_It's a love sign in the big blue sky._

As she sang, the crowd swayed with the music. This startled Rico, Bron, and Konda, who were already startled by the Micronian female's song.

'_I love you, you love me?'_

_But he's head over heels_

_For his plane, instead of me._

_Whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!_

_My boyfriend's is a pilot."_

* * *

Though Lisa was given leave, she didn't like thought of being idle. Since there was nothing for her to do, she found her way to the bridge. "Hi," she said, shyly, stepping on bridge. Hearing her voice, she was presented with five faces. Except for Claudia, she didn't recognize any of the techs manning the stations.

Seeing Lisa standing at the entryway, Claudia gasped in surprised, but then said, "Look, the prodigy returns!"

Lisa walked further onto the bridge. She was lucky Captain Gloval wasn't on the bridge, having been told by him to rest. The more into the bridge she walked, the more at home she became. Eventually, the tech manning her station moved out of the way, allowing Lisa to take her place.

"Congratulation on your promotion, commander," she said while stepping away.

Lisa barely heard her, as her hand traced the face of her console. Though she had been away from it for "four days," at times she felt she'd never see it or the SDF-1 again. But here she was.

The other girls on the bridge paid her compliments, which Lisa took graciously, giving them the appearance of a shy, timid woman. Claudia asked, "So how does it feel to be a heroine?"

Lisa's cheeks slightly colored, not believing what she did to be heroic, especially since she dropped the digicam. "Oh, you," she replied.

"Oh, come on and tell Aunt Claudia. Or did your promotion suddenly make you modest?"

Lisa tried looking anywhere but at Claudia. She didn't want it to slip out that while on the Zentraedi ship she had a moment of weakness and kissed the much-hated Ranma Saotome. Nevertheless she wouldn't let that out. Still acting this way, she said, "Okay. You've found out my secret," in a very feminine voice. A voice Claudia had never heard before.

Instantly she switched to professional Lisa Hayes and said, "So let's show some respect here!"

That got the women on the bridge laughing. Then a tech that Lisa clearly didn't recognized walked over carrying a tray with five cups of coffee. "Why don't we drink to your promotion, commander?"

They all took a cup, and before taking a sip, said, "Cheers!"

Lowering her cups, Lisa quipped, "You know, the Zentraedi maybe very powerful, but they sure make a lousy cup of coffee."

That got them laughing again. As the laughter died down, the bridge door opened again. Lisa momentarily held her breath, hoping it wasn't Captain Gloval. She didn't hold it for long, for behind the door were the other three members of the regular crew.

Kim, Vanessa, and Sammie were so surprised to see Lisa that they ran over to her to give her a hug. Lisa stood there in the middle of the group hug with a smile.

* * *

"So you're saying that our commanding officer has finally returned from the clutches of the Zentraedi?" asked one of the men walking next to Rick.

Rick was on his way back to the dorms after doing a combat patrol. There was word that a breakout was going to take place soon, so the number of combat patrols had increased. For Rick, it was his second patrol in the past thirty-six hours. It was the one reason he hadn't been able to give Ranma a report on the squadron while he was gone.

At the moment he had two ensigns recently assigned to Vermilion Squadron walking with him. It had been their first patrol, so they walked to the base with Rick.

"Yeah, he's back," Rick replied. "In fact, here he comes right now."

The two ensigns looked ahead and saw a man, who appeared a little older than Rick but still younger than them. He wasn't in uniform. Instead he wore a red Chinese shirt, a pair of black slacks, and black shoes that almost looked like slippers. By appearance alone, it didn't seem he could be their commanding officer. But he was the only one walking towards them, so he had to be it.

So they did the first natural thing when you come upon a superior officer. They offered up a salute when Ranma was within saluting ranging.

Ranma saw the two guys walking with Rick saluting. Knowing that he was wearing civilian clothing, he didn't think they were saluting him. There had to be a superior behind him. But quickly looking behind, he noticed he was the only person around. So they were saluting him.

Ranma felt uncomfortable saluting people when he wasn't in uniform. Something told him that the two with Rick had some type of affiliation with the squadron, so he stopped before Rick.

"Ya know, guys, ya don't have to salute me. I'm not in uniform," stated Ranma.

Ranma was perfectly corrected in saying that. The two ensigns brought down their salutes, somewhat embarrassed.

"Rick, I've been wanting to see you," Ranma said next.

"Yeah, same here," replied Rick. Then he thought about the two ensigns with him. "By the way, this is David Lipton (he gestured to the man to his right, taller than both him and Ranma, shorter than Ben, with short brown hair), and he's Gene Muck (shorter than Lipton but taller than Rick and Ranma, red hair kind of styled like Rick). This, guys, is Lieutenant Ranma Saotome. New promoted, I must add."

"Alright, Rick, cut it out."

"Yes, sir, lieutenant, sir!" Rick joked, knowing it irritated Ranma when he was referred by rank.

However, Ranma found it funny and started laughing. Rick soon joined him, leaving the two ensigns wondering if they missed something. Soon they put it off to the fact that their two superior officers were younger than them, thus not as mature as them (both being 22).

"Ah, guys, I need to talk to Lt. Hunter alone?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, sir," replied Ensign Lipton. At that, the two ensigns took off for their barracks.

Rick joined Ranma as he continued walking.

"You know, if you want to know how the squadron's doing, you can just read the logs."

"I know that," Ranma replied with a bit of sarcasm. "I just want to know what's been going on around Macross. I talked to Minmei yesterday, and she seemed a little put off by you. You didn't do anything to her, did you?"

Rick gulped, remembering what Ranma told him a year ago. "Hehehe. It could be because I'm sleeping with Kim."

"You're sleeping with Kim Young!" Ranma said in surprised. He definitely didn't see that coming.

"But I don't see why Minmei would be put off by that," Rick came back. "It didn't seem like it at dinner the other night."

He waited for a reply from Ranma, but he was still speechless by the fact Rick was sleeping with Kim Young, who every pilot thought was hot (including Ranma) and wanted to date, and be in Rick's shoes.

"Ranma, are you there?" Rick asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Hey, Ranma."

"H-How?" Ranma eventually asked

Rick explained that the first time he was drunk. The next time they fluked their way into it. After that it just happened.

"Wait a minute. How do you fluke your way into sex?" asked the one person on the ship where sex was the farthest thing in his mind. Besides he was still naïve about sex.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I really don't know."

"And I guess Minmei's jealous of this?" Ranma pondered.

"I don't know why. She's the one that wants our relationship to remain a friendship."

That statement alone saved Rick from any type of punishment from Ranma for any perceived hurting of his little sister. This meant he would talk to Minmei about this again.

They continued on walking, walking in the direction that would lead them to Macross City. It would have been much easier to drive into the city, though neither knew how to drive. Ben was the driver of the group.

Eventually Rick spoke again. "So when do you return?"

"Well, my leave is over tomorrow, but Uncle Roy has said something not returning to duty until the next day."

Rick was relieved to hear that. Though he had thoughts of his own squadron, he never realized how much work was involved, especially the training that was involved. He had tried using the same training tactics as Ranma, but it didn't seem the same.

So he was happy that he would be giving the back and returning to his role as second.

* * *

Out surrounding the SDF-1, Azonia and her staff watched the ship on the halomap. There wasn't much they could do but observe. One thing they noticed, they were getting closer and closer to the Micronians home planet. The closer they got, the tighter Azonia had the blockade become. It wasn't like there was a threat of the Micronians breaking through.

"Ma'am, the Micronian ship has sped up once again."

Azonia hated getting this update. The SDF-1 had been increasing its speed since approaching the moon of the planet. Dolza hadn't given her any authority to confront the ship, so the most she could do was allow it to achieve orbit but not allow it to break through the atmosphere.

On another ship in the blockade, Khyron fumed over the inactiveness of Azonia. He fumed over the fact she was allowing the Micronian to get close to their planet. He was upset over the fact they weren't pressing the attack. The Micronians had one ship. They had many. They could easily destroy the SDF-1 and take this planet.

He looked at the map showing the SDF-1's position relative to his battalion. Grel and Geraro, now out of Khyron's doghouse, had joined him on the bridge when he formulated a strategy of attack.

"Here," he said, pointing to the starboard side of the SDF-1.

His two subordinates were confused by at he meant. Neither of them were about to ask out of fear of the consequences. Fortunate for them, Khyron went on to elaborate.

"That point has proven to be vulnerable time and time again. We'll attack them there."

"But Commander Azonia won't approve of…"

"I don't care what that woman approves of," Khyron interrupted whoever spoke. He didn't care which one made the comment. He glared at them both. "Are we to sit here with our arms folded while these creatures get away," Khyron added.

He finished off his tirade by ordering his ships to increase their speed and attack.

* * *

Everything was going well for Gloval and the crew of the SDF-1. The prospect of being home in a matter of hours had gotten everyone to put more than 100% into their jobs. That included Lisa, who had forced herself back on duty, unlike her fellow escapees who were grounded.

At present, the SDF-1 was making its final approach to Earth. Surrounding the ship were the Skull and Vermilion Squadron to provide support from any attacks that might come once it was clear that they headed for reentry, not establish an orbit.

Things were going along fine until Vanessa chimed, "Sir, Radar reports a group has broken away and is approaching to our starboard side."

Gloval was expecting something like this to happen at any time. He calmly ordered Lisa to send Skull Squadron to that section. As soon as that order was given, the Zentraedi opened fire upon them. And it was not the typical fire to scare but actually fire to kill.

Gloval stayed calm as he ordered the pin point barriers to cover the section. It was clear to the girls that Gloval had things under control, and with that knowledge, they worked with calmed efficiency.

But that confidence could only last for long as the occasional laser strikes continue to hit the surface of the SDF-1. At the point where Gloval fell out of his chair, enough was enough. It was time to counterattack, so he ordered the fortress into attack mode.

* * *

Deep down in the SDF-1, Rico, Konda, and Bron stood in the streets of the deserted Macross City. It was an eerie feeling standing in Macross City alone.

"Say, Rico, what is this modular transformation they talked about?" asked Bron.

"I do not know. But whatever it is sure got the Micronians to leave in a hurry." What they didn't know, after the first transformation and with the subsequent rebuilding of Macross, evacuation shelters were built prevent any harm coming to the citizens.

Then the ship started shaking, sending the three to the ground, and unfortunately they were near a marked off section that meant it was integral for the transformation. It parted with Rico lying right on it. He fell into the newly created crevasse, barely catching the edge. Konda and Bron were quick to help their compatriot up.

Once Rico was up from the crevasse, the next event happened. During its change into the technoknight that the SDF-1 became in the attack mode, there was a momentary loss of gravity in the sections that housed the city as various parts moved. Since Rico, Konda, and Bron were the only ones in the city, they started floating up along with the cars that littered the streets.

* * *

"Transformation complete," announced Sammie.

Gloval immediately ordered Claudia to fire. Seconds later, the main gun shot a beam into the attacking ships.

* * *

"Ma'am, Lord Khyron is attacking the Micronians against your orders," informed one of Azonia's techs.

_Damn that Khyron_, Azonia thought. "Move to block his advance," she ordered.

"But, ma'am, that will split our forces."

Azonia knew that, but how was she suppose to show her authority if she allowed this to continue.

* * *

"Sir, another group of ships are advancing," called out Vanessa.

This was total unexpected. Normally when the Zentraedi attacked, only one group would attack. They never had to handle two.

As they watched things develop, they looked at what was becoming their fortune. The second group advanced on the first, and in doing so, they left open the way for their entry.

Gloval saw it and ordered Claudia to take the opening. Into the opening the SDF-1 went, with no thought of recalling its deployed squadrons. Fortunately Veritechs had the capability to survive reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

The SDF-1 streaked through the atmosphere. The temperature rose higher and higher, almost to the point where the shielding couldn't take anymore. Nevertheless the SDF-1 would make it through.

And into the Pacific Ocean it crashed. Due to the velocity of reentry, it submerged into the ocean. The bridge had a sea green hue as they sunk deeper and deeper under the ocean. Then the SDF-1 rushed its way back up to the surface.

Once surfaced, it bobbed to and fro until the SDF-1 became buoyant, with the help of _Daedalus_ and the _Prometheus_. Finally stabilized (just a little sway), the crew of the bridge started to see the rise of steam. But watching the steam was only a momentary reaction, for so they celebrated their return to Earth.

* * *

It was an hour before the inhabitants of the SDF-1, both military and civilian were allowed onto the decks of the carriers. Once they were, there was dancing abound. That included Ben Dixon, who spent the battle in a shelter with Ranma, Nodoka, Minmei, and Max.

Nodoka had a laugh as she held Ranma in a motherly embrace. As she watched this man under her child's command, she had to think about the future. Surely they were going to take all the civilians off and allow them to return to lives on Earth. But her life was her son.

Would this mean she would have to be separated from her son once again?

* * *

Author's note:

My Boyfriend's a Pilot is from the original Macross sung by the original Minmei, Mari Iijima.

I might have mentioned this before but I put Nodoka at 35 to show that she had Ranma (now 18) at an early age (do the math). It also sets up something in the next chapter.


	12. Rude Homecoming revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 12: Rude Homecoming

* * *

The day was supposed to be a happy one for her family. But for her, she wasn't all that happy. As she stood in her room, preparing for the wedding, she felt something was just not right. Sure, with the wedding, the dojo would be financially secured, but this wasn't the wedding that made it so.

This should have been Ranma and Akane's wedding, though Nabiki knew that wedding would never happen. Much had changed in the time since everyone was informed of Ranma's death. It hit all of his fiancées hard. Not a day after finding out, Shampoo attacked Akane viciously, blaming her for driving Ranma to his mother, leading to his death. The attacks continued until Shampoo was deported once the authorities became involved and found that she had been in Japan longer than allowed without obtaining the proper paperwork to extend her stay.

Kodachi also attacked Akane, often in concurrence with Shampoo. Then one day everyone learned Kodachi had been committed to a mental institution/drag rehabilitation center. Apparently she grew tired of blaming Akane and decided to join Ranma in the afterlife. Fortunately Sasuke was there to save her. It came as a surprise to many around Nerima, including her school. Word had it she was doing much better and would be released soon.

The only one not to attack Akane was Ukyo. For the first month after being informed, she never left her building, which was bad for it was the first month of their second year in high school, and closed Ucchan's. In effect she missed the whole Shampoo/Kodachi episode. After a month, it was Akane that went over to see if she was okay. At first Nabiki didn't think it was a good thing for her little sister to do. After all, of all the girls that chased after Ranma, she had been Akane's true rival. Surprisingly it was Akane that brought Ukyo out.

Nabiki wasn't sure, but she didn't think Akane grieved until the second month after getting together with Ukyo. They helped each other get through that second month. That led to the bitter rivals becoming the best of friends.

Nabiki never realized how much Akane loved Ranma, with her distrust in boys. She thought both Akane and Ukyo would grieve over their lost love for years. That was until he showed up. Alex Satori was the son of the famous martial arts expert and action film star, Jack Satori. His parents moved to Japan, and he transferred into Furinken High School with the knowledge that some of the best martial artists in Japan went there. What surprised Nabiki was watching how quickly Akane fell for a foreigner. However she couldn't pay much attention to the budding relationship since she was too busy preparing college entry exams.

As for Nabiki, she, too, missed Ranma. She would admit to that (though not to others), but not for reasons that people would think. Sure she missed the much-needed money Ranma ended up providing the house, and she missed the various schemes she got him in. But as she pulled back from her operations, in preparations to handing it over, she began to realize how integral she allowed Ranma to become in her life. First she missed seeing him do the impossible. Next she started to miss his presence. Then she started picturing how his body moved, and that frightened her when she found herself aroused by the thought of her little sister's dead fiancé. What frightened her even more; she started comparing guys at her university to Ranma.

The university was a totally different matter in itself. Though she just started, she wanted nothing more than to build a new identity to be more marketable to future employers. Unfortunately her reputation was well known amongst the first year students.

A knock on her door brought her back from thinking about Ranma. Her cheeks reddened after realizing her dress was ruffled while thinking of him on Akane's wedding day.

"Nabiki, are you ready?" Kasumi voice came through the door.

"A-Almost, Kasumi," she replied. Immediately she admonished herself for the break in her speech.

"Are you okay?" a question after a moments hesitation.

"Yes! Yes! Just fine!"

"Well, remember, the ceremony starts in a couple of hours."

"Okay."

* * *

"Ranma, are you flying Minmei to Japan to visit her parents?" Nodoka asked.

They were sitting in her office, now back to their regular schedule. It had been a few days since the SDF-1 crashed in the Pacific, and the people of Macross wanted off. They had been partying twenty-four/seven in the streets of Macross and occasionally of the deck of the _Daedalus_. However only Minmei, Miss Macross, had been given permission to leave and visit her parents. Naturally Nodoka assumed Ranma would be taking his "little sister" there.

"Yes, mom," Ranma replied.

Nodoka went to her desk and pulled out two envelopes from a drawer and handed them to Ranma. Ranma was confused as he looked at both of them. One was addressed to Minmei's parents. The other was to his father.

"What's this for?" he asked, holding up the one for his father.

"That's your father's copy of our divorce decree," Nodoka said, bluntly.

Ranma fell from his seat from the shock. It was something rather unexpected. Sure Genma did take him away from her for ten years, and sure he did a lot of thing to Nodoka's child that she didn't approve. But Ranma never thought his mother would divorce the old man.

"W-Why? W-When?" Ranma asked, pulling himself up.

Nodoka told him she filed for divorce after hearing all the abuse Ranma had to go through because of him. (She'd felt bad she wasn't there to stop it.) To go along with that, she was upset with ten years of abandonment. Father and son were supposed to make occasional trips home. As for when, before they left to visit her parents. (The main reason they went was to see if Ranma could be added to the family register.)

Ranma though about for a minute. "O-Okay, I'll give it to him. I was going to the dojo anyway."

"Oh! And why, may I ask?" Nodoka inquired.

Ranma didn't know how his mother would take it, but he told her he was going to propose to Akane and promise to marry her after all this was over.

Hearing Ranma say that, Nodoka's eye lit up. She knew the two would make an excellent couple. Where she was satisfied her Ranma would not turn out to be another Genma, she hoped the time apart had calmed Akane's temper.

* * *

Rick's head popped out from under his covers, and soon Kim's head did likewise. Then her naked breast made an appearance when Rick turned to face her, knocking the covers down their bodies. Rick's room reeked of sex.

"The sex was better in space," Rick joked, and Kim laughed.

Rick leaned into his hand and watched Kim laugh. It was moments like these that he truly understood why he was the envy of every pilot except one, Ranma Saotome. Rick couldn't believe his fortune in being associated with two of the most beautiful women on the SDF-1-Minmei, who he loved with all his heart (strange for someone sleeping with another woman) and Kim, who was a good friend; well, he guess he really couldn't call her just a friend since they were sleeping together.

Due to this time of introspection, Rick missed when Kim stopped laughing. "Rick, will you ever have feelings for me as you have for Minmei?"

The question took Rick unawares.

"'Cause I think I'm falling in love with you," Kim finished.

That was followed by Rick's head hitting the wall and the headboard. Kim was over him to check his head immediately.

"Oww!" was his immediate response. When he was about to deal with the pain, he asked, "W-What prompted that?"

That wasn't exactly the response Kim was looking for. "I know you still have feelings for Minmei, even though you're sleeping with me," Kim replied. "But there's the likelihood the civilians will be taken off the ship. That also means Minmei."

With that she gave him a peck on the lips.

Rick hadn't thought of the fact that Minmei might be taken off the SDF-1. _If that's true, what about Nodoka?_

He instantly shook his head at that thought.

Kim gave him another kiss and told him to stop avoiding the question. She changed her position so that she was now straddled on top of him.

Rick didn't know what to say. Yes he had loved Minmei, but he really didn't know if he still had those feelings. He was only 17. Did he really have an answer for the 19 year old on top of him?

"Well, I don't know what love is, but I do like what I'm seeing right now," was his reply.

It wasn't a no, so it was a start for Kim. However the line made her laugh. This time Rick didn't find what he said funny, so he decided to give her a reason to laugh. Thus he started tickling her; the tickling led to more sex.

* * *

Late morning and the deck of the _Prometheus_ was bristling with activity. One of the few transport shuttles sat on the deck, all prepped to launch. A jeep pulled along side and out from it stepped Captain Gloval and Lisa Hayes. They boarded the shuttle and prepared themselves for the long flight. They were on their way to Alaska and the headquarters of the United Earth Defense Council. There the two would brief the council on the events after the miscalculated jump to Pluto.

Up on the bridge, Claudia, Sammie, Vanessa, and recently-arrived Kim watched the shuttle shoot off the deck of the _Prometheus_.

Kim sighed as they continued to watch the shuttle flying off in the distance. "Boy, I wished I was going with them." Her two friends agreed with the statement but didn't believe Kim meant it, knowing where she preferred to be.

Claudia unwillingly played the role of devil's advocate. "I'd rather stay here. Do you know what's the weather like this time of year?"

"Well, at least we'd be off this ship for a little while," voiced Vanessa. "That's all I want."

"Yeah!" chimed both Sammie and Kim.

Any further comments stopped at the sound of the opening hatch. Colonel Maistroff stepped through it after banging his head on the top of the hatch. With Gloval and Lisa off the ship, the command of the SDF-1 fell to him.

"Morning, ladies," he said, rubbing his forehead.

"Good morning, sir," they replied, all headed back to their stations.

Maistroff spoke about his expectations on how things will be run while he was in command, believing Gloval ran a loose bridge. Sammie and Kim didn't care as they were off in their own conversation. More like Sammie commenting on Kim. "Seem to be walking a little funny today." It was a comment that either Sammie or Vanessa would make whenever they thought Kim had a little fun with Lt. Hunter. It was all in attempts to get Kim to talk about it because they weren't presently getting any and wanted to know what it was like, at least Sammie, who was still a virgin.

As always, Kim was so guarded about the subject.

The topic was unexpectedly dropped when Sammie spotted Maistroff attempting to light a cigar. And much like that day long ago, she was up on her seat and quick to inform the colonel of the regulations prohibiting such action. This time there was laughter as Maistroff fumbled about an excuse for not actually attending to smoke it.

Soon afterwards, Claudia announced her leaving the bridge. Unlike the other girls, her shift was now over. As she walked Maistroff tried his best to convince her to stay on. But she had a person to see and things to do…to each other.

* * *

Later in the day, the party with a carnival atmosphere was in progress on the deck of the _Daedalus_. Everyone was in a festive mood including the three micronized Zentraedi who were trying their best to assimilate into Micronian society. They tried the many different foods and drinks that were laid out, doing things to their taste buds they had never thought possible.

In another part of this carnival, Mayor Tommy Luan busily urged the citizens to eat, drink, and be merry, while his personal assistant was suggesting that he have them to start packing. The mayor was having none of it because he had a feeling that once they leave the ship, it would be the last time they'd see it.

At the end of the flight deck sat a gold, two-seat fanjet. The fanjet had been part of the prize for winning the Miss Macross pageant. In the forward seat, Ranma busied himself with finishing up his final preparations for launch once Minmei arrived. He did the work with great excitement. Not only was this the plane's maiden flight, this was going to be the first time he flew something other than a combat aircraft. Of course one would have guessed the enthusiasm came from the privilege of getting off the ship, or, to his mom, his impending proposal to his fiancée. But it was the thought of flying that held his fascination. A fascination he still did not understand.

"You're all hooked up and ready to fly, sir" a female voice said over the sound of the engine coming on-line.

"Thanks, Janice," Ranma replied. There were a few things that Ranma thought were guaranteed nowadays. He was the best martial artist on Earth, his curse seemed to only activate around the presence of his mother and Minmei (and quite possibly Lisa, he wasn't sure yet), and that Lieutenant Amanda Janice would be there to make sure his plane was ready to fly.

"And, sir, it's good to have you back." added Janice.

Then there was a loud roar from the partying crowd. Loud enough that it got Ranma to look out from the plane. A black car was headed towards the plane, which he assumed it carried Minmei.

In said car, Minmei sat in the middle of the back seat. She had a look of boredom and sleepiness, which was quite different from her normal perky self. Up until three days ago, all she had done was release an album. However now that she'd had her debut concert, she was a full-fledge pop star, ship idol/icon. Her time was split in several directions. It was much more than she'd expected. Because of all of this, she had become grateful for her surrogate mother. But now that would be put to the side, for she couldn't wait to see her parents.

The car pulled to a stop next to the fanjet, and Minmei stepped out and the roar got even louder. It was louder still when she turned around to wave at them.

"What's that all about?" Ranma asked, coming up behind her.

"Oh, Ranma, isn't it great," Minmei replied, fake smile in place. "Those are all my fans."

"That's nice, squirt," replied the guy who never had to deal with his fan club here or in Nerima.

"Well, come on and hop in," Ranma continued. "We're set for takeoff."

As Ranma helped Minmei into her seat, Vance Hasselwood came from behind to inform the pilot of the importance of taking car of Minmei. But he fumbled his words when he realized the pilot was Ranma, his boss. He didn't know why he didn't realize it beforehand with the trademarked Chinese shirt (blue instead of red) and black pants.

"Was there something you wanted to say, Hasselwood?" Ranma asked. He wasn't trying to sound spiteful, but that's how it came out to Vance, who was already intimidated by Ranma.

"N-No, sir. J-Just have a good trip." With that, Vance backed away and into the car, taking off back down the deck. Ranma grimaced as he realized he unintentionally drove the man away.

"What was that all about?" Minmei asked, sticking out her head.

"I don't know," answered Ranma, hopping back into the forward seat. As he strapped in, both canopies lowered down. "Okay, now make sure you're snugly secured." He brought the engine up to full power/full thrust.

"How come?" she asked while doing what Ranma said. Minmei soon found out as the fanjet rocketed off the deck, pushing her into the seat.

* * *

The shuttle carrying Captain Gloval and Lisa dropped below supersonic and made its final approach to UEDC Alaska base, though the average person wouldn't be able to tell by looking. A landing pad, two buildings, and a communications tower were all there was to see. That was because the majority of the base was underground.

Fifteen minutes later, Gloval and Lisa were on a subway car which would take them further down. Knowing it was a long trek down, Gloval brought out his pipe. He felt now was better than any to have a puff on the pipe before meeting with his superiors. With pipe in mouth and match lit, he was stopped by an electronic voice informing him that he couldn't smoke in the car.

Gloval grumbled and groaned while shaking out the match. Everything was against him when it came to smoking. Lisa snickered at the whole situation. That brought a smile to Gloval's face, hearing such a joyous noise from his first officer.

"I think that's the first I've heard you laugh since your return," Gloval commented.

Lisa had to think about that. It came out that the captain was right in that respect. "I guess I have to try harder."

"You shouldn't have to try. Just be yourself. You're young. There's no need for you to worry so much."

There was a momentary pause as Lisa didn't know how to respond. After a while she asked, "Sir, is there something wrong?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that you complain more about not being able to smoke whenever you're more agitated."

Gloval gathered his thoughts before explaining he was unsure how things would go with the council. Lisa shared the same sentiments, but she was also optimistic that the council would hear them out and sue for peace, especially after hearing their odds. If not that, at least they should allow the refugees to disembark from the SDF-1.

Gloval like that optimism, though he had a feeling that even if the council went the peace route, it wouldn't be done until a use of force, namely the Grand Cannon program.

Gloval noticed Lisa seemed confused at his mention of the Grand Cannon. So he explained what it was without revealing anything still classified. Lisa was startled to hear she was traveling in the barrel of the cannon, but Gloval assured her they'd clear the barrel before firing.

* * *

Just barely picking out the coast of Okinawa to his west, Ranma smiled in realization of soon giving his heart to the girl he loved.

He marveled over the lightness and maneuverability of the fanjet. He understood why Rick preferred his fanjet to the Veritech. He had turned it into a rollercoaster car with the maneuvers he put in through after takeoff, much to the delight of Minmei. Well except for the power dive where he didn't pull out until right before crashing through the ocean surface. Naturally Minmei was upset and told him not to do that again, but she laughed it off minutes later. It had been the most fun she's had in a month, a month in which she thought the friend she treated like a brother was dead.

Also during the flight, they received a little Veritech escort from Max and Ben, who themselves were on patrol.

Once the patrol had left, Minmei told him everything she'd done since the concert. They had her continue to work on her voice and placed her in dance classes. They had her record a few specials just the other day, along with making a video for her song, _My Boyfriend's a Pilot_. There were even talks of her making the first movies on a spaceship.

Ranma easily understood why she fell asleep as soon as she stopped talking. By the sounds of it, the girl's been working harder than she ever had before. But if Minmei was having fun, who was he to interfere and tell her to slow down.

Though he wished he could do something about that manager. Ranma noticed Vance Hasselwood was always nervous around him, like he had done or planned to do something wrong. It made it hard for Ranma to fully entrust Minmei's career to him.

If only he knew somebody like Nabiki, who cared for her family/client but ruthless when it came to business. He could easily see himself entrusting Minmei's career to Nabiki. If only Nabiki was on the SDF-1. Of course he knew she'd probably find a way to take advantage of him. That was a given, for even though he had grown since seeing the Tendos, he didn't think he could outsmart Nabiki.

But since Nabiki wasn't on the SDF-1, he stopped thinking about her.

At some point he looked out and picked up landmarks that let him know that he just flew over Fukuoka, meaning during his time of thought, they were making time. If he kept this up, they'd reach the Tokyo megalopolis in no time.

No time was another hour. Being the kind and considerate big brother, he allowed Minmei to sleep until they were on the ground. Or more like Minmei woke from the turbulence of landing.

* * *

"Come on, Rick. Ranma was able to pick up Newton's Laws in a day. This is now two weeks."

"Nodoka, I don't think you should compare me to your son," Rick said, looking at a quiz full of red that Nodoka just returned. True to his word, Rick had been coming to Nodoka's office on a daily basis to continue his education. Nodoka learned she couldn't teach him or Minmei at an accelerated rate unlike Ranma.

"I'm not a genius like him when it comes to the sciences," Rick added.

_And other subjects_, Nodoka sadly added herself. It was true. It was so frustratingly true. Nodoka had many students, but she put most of her time into Ranma, Rick and Minmei's education. They were her personal students, her family. Of the three of them, Ranma was levels ahead of all her students, though she couldn't convince him of that. She wanted all three of them on the same level. They were intelligent for their age group, but the other two would falter whenever Nodoka tried teaching them at Ranma's pace.

"I know. I know. Okay, we'll move on to trigonometry."

For the next hour, that's what they did. At the end, Nodoka assigned him problems to turn in next week. Written down, Rick packed his books away and prepared to leave.

"Rick, is it true that you're having sex with that young lady you took to the party?" Nodoka asked out of the blue.

That was the second time this day that Rick received an unexpected question. So unexpected he stumbled into the door. "W-Why would you ask that?"

"I'm just concerned for Minmei. Lately she's seemed upset at you because of your relationship."

That confused Rick. "You're the second one to mention that in so many days." _As to how she knows is beyond me_.

"Oh!" Nodoka was intrigued that this incurred the interest of her son.

"Yeah, Ranma mentioned it before we returned to Earth," Rick confirmed. "Though I don't know why. Minmei insists that we're just friends."

Nodoka realized what was happening. The surrogate child had the same problem as the real child, the inability to relate/express their feelings to those that matter. Nodoka wasn't sure if this was a teenage thing, for it was something she missed. When she was about their age, she was already with a child.

"Maybe she doesn't know how to tell you how she really feelings," was Nodoka's explanation. An explanation she remembered saying to Ranma a year ago.

"Right!" Rick replied with sarcasm. He knew Minmei's feelings.

Nodoka realized it wasn't up to her to convince Rick, like she couldn't convince Ranma before the decision to move in with her. "Well, at least you and Miss Young are practicing safe sex. Are you?" Nodoka asked the question from experience.

Rick had been propped against a bookcase. However with that comment, his hand slipped, and he crashed into it. How was it that he was in this type of conversation with someone old enough to be his mom (by default because she was the mother of his friend, even though she was 35)?

"Are you okay?" Nodoka asked as one of her bigger books from the top shelf came crashing on top of Rick.

"Oww!" was his first reply. "Y-You're gettin' rather personal, ya know," was his next. It was the first two things that came to mind as he tried to deal with the burning of his cheeks.

"I'm just thinking that Miss Young is a part of the RDF. And with every job critical, I would hate for her to be on maternity during a time of importance."

Rick got himself in order before answering. First, he couldn't believe that he was going to answer. If it was anyone but Nodoka, he probably wouldn't give an answer. But he knew her all his life, often times thought of her as the sister he never had.

Clearing his throat, he said, "It's none of your business, but yes we do (_except that first time_). Now if you mind, I kinda need ta get goin'."

Leaving the office allowed him to breathe normally, though he didn't know he wasn't. And though the conversation threw him a curve, he wasn't angry with Nodoka. He was more envious of Ranma. Rick's mother died when he was young, so he would never know if she would take the time to show concern about his sex life.

* * *

Ranma and Minmei went their separate ways at the airport, with Ranma telling Minmei he'd meet up with her in a couple of hours. Then they hopped on their respective trains: Ranma to Nerima and Minmei to Yokohama.

The train to Nerima was longer than Ranma expected. However the minute he stepped off, it felt like he never left the ward he'd considered home for those few months. Nothing had changed, but should there really been any in the amount of time he'd been gone. Walking around, he saw some of the things that reminded him of days where getting into a fight didn't involve him risking his life.

Idly he wondered if he could still fight at the level he was before leaving Earth. He trained plenty during his year or so in space. He just wasn't sure if he could take a hit like he use to, and sure his old man will feel the need to test him, especially after Ranma handed him the divorce decree.

He wondered how Genma would react to the fact Nodoka was able to get a divorce without his presence. He definitely wondered how he would react to finding out Ranma was a Saotome in name only, having been removed from the Saotome clan register before leaving for Macross Island. Ranma, himself, had been shocked to hear that.

Ranma wondered how Akane would react to the ring. He already figured out how the rest of the Tendos would react. Mr. Tendo would cry 'cause that's what Mr. Tendo does. Nabiki would comment on the value of the ring, not immediately believing it to be an heirloom.

He was prevented from thinking how Kasumi would react by the familiar feeling of the activation his female form. Looking around, she noticed she'd just passed the old lady with the ladle. Random "attacks" by water were something that she definitely didn't miss as it was uncommon on the SDF-1, as water was closely monitored.

One thing Ranma knew, she did not want to propose to Akane as a female. She went to two safe places where she could get some hot water. Her first stop was Ucchan's. Ukyo would definitely love to see her. She figured it would be best to talk to Ukyo about her impending proposal. She just hoped that Ukyo wouldn't be too upset about it. After all she did call Ukyo the cute fiancée not long after she first showed up. She just hoped to keep Ukyo as a friend.

She arrived at Ucchan's to find it closed. That seemed odd to Ranma as it was the weekend and peak hours for business. Most unlike Ukyo. She wondered what would make Ukyo close her restaurant.

From there, she went to her next stop, making sure to avoid the Nekohaten. She wanted nothing to do with the Amazons since there was no telling what Shampoo would do if it so happen to slip out about the proposal. Add Cologne to the equation and things could get combustible.

She arrived at Dr. Tofu's clinic only to find that it too was closed. She began wondering if something was going on. To some, it would seem to be sheer coincidence that the two would be closed. But to Ranma, it was a bit suspicious. Tofu's clinic had always been opened, especially at this time of day. With Tofu not in, there was nowhere left to go but the Tendo Dojo and ask Kasumi for some hot water, like old times.

As she approached the dojo, her first clue that something was up was the fact the outside of the dojo was decorated as if a party was expected to happen. There was no way the Tendos could have found out that she was coming. Ranma walked through the gate and into the house. It was eerily quiet as if no one was home, but she saw three other pairs of shoes in the entryway. So there were people home.

No one was upstairs or downstairs. There were no indications of someone in the bath, but the furo was full and hot. Ranma was quick to stick in a hand and change back to male.

With the house empty, the only logical place to go was the dojo, which he found to be beautifully decorated with flowers. It almost reminded him of that one wedding scene in that movie Minmei forced him to watch a while back. If that was the case, Ranma linked it to Dr. Tofu's clinic being closed. The good doctor had finally stayed sane long enough to ask Kasumi out. This had to be their wedding.

His thoughts appeared correct for as he walked up to the opening to the dojo, Ranma heard the words, "You may now kiss the bride." It was the symbolic end of a Western-Christian service. Ranma smiled at the thought of Kasumi and Tofu as a married couple. However his happy thoughts turned to horror when he saw that it wasn't Kasumi and Tofu getting married, but Akane and some other guy. They were kissing rather passionately on the makeshift altar.

It was too much for Ranma to take. Here he finally returned after a year in space to find his fiancée marrying another guy.

"A-A-Akane," he finally made an audible noise through his gapes.

The newly married Akane Satori's eyes snapped wide open upon hearing the voice of her deceased fiancé. She broke the kiss with her husband and, along with everyone else, turned her head towards the direction of the voice. She saw the form of her deceased fiancé, frozen in place, looking back at her. She was absolutely stunned to see him as were her maid of honor and bride's maids. Her father was near hysterics, believing that the ghost of his baby girl's fiancé had come to haunt the wedding, showing his disapproval.

The only one on the bride side that wasn't either shocked or stunned was the father of the deceased fiancé. Genma Saotome was pissed that someone or thing would use his son's image to disturb something that said son would most likely approve. The first thing that came to Genma's mind was take the imposter out. He moved to attack the thing disgracing the honor of his dead heir. Unfortunately he wasn't expecting it to actually be Ranma.

Ranma was brought out of his catatonic state by his father's attack. He didn't immediately register the attack. Two things that he subconsciously honed while in space kicked in. Through many battles, his sense of awareness was heightened to an extent greater than before. The effect of this was his body recognized Genma's attack before the eyes. His reaction time was also heightened. Because of all his experience in the war and his like of the Battloid mode, he learned to operate without any extraneous movements. With those gone, Ranma was quicker than ever. He reacted to Genma before Genma realized it, tossing Genma into the koi pond. Walking over to the pond, he said, "Damnit, Pop! Why cha do that for?"

His response was in the form a panda, in ruined clothing, exploding from the pond. Ranma jumped back, missing the spray. Then he defended himself from attack by his father. He was surprise by how efficient his movement had become. What surprised him even more was the power in his own attack, and he thought he was holding back. When he counterattacked his father, he took him down like it was nothing. Ranma had yet to realize the effects of training with the gravity on the SDF-1, which was slightly higher than Earth.

Genma was surprised for this thing in the form of his son was more power than him, not knowing Ranma had been holding back for quite a while. As he slumped to the ground, in pain, he realized the thing was able to get down the form of his son.

Though surprised, the way Ranma took out his father fed the ego that had been dormant. An ego Ranma wanted to suppress after the realization that it wasn't good out in battle.

"R-Ranma, is that really you?" asked Ukyo when it was over. During the fight, everyone had made their way to the entrance of the dojo. Watching the way he moved, many realized how very similar it was to Ranma.

Ranma turned to her. The looks she and the other people gave him seemed as if they were seeing a ghost. "Yeah, it's me," was his reply.

Before any other questions came, Ranma ran and took Akane up on top of the room, where he could talk to her undisturbed. He didn't hear the groom screaming to bring his wife back. Nor did he (or anyone else) notice Nabiki dash into the house to get to her listening device. What he did notice was that Akane was heavier than the last time he carried her.

Akane slapped him across the cheek. "Why did you have to come back today of all days? When I've finally gotten over you."

Ranma rubbed away the pain from his cheek, realizing Lisa hit just as hard as Akane. Closing his eyes to get the thought of another woman while in front of the one that held his heart, Ranma asked why she needed to get over him. He was surprised by her answer.

"Because you're supposed to be dead."

"D-Dead!"

"Do you know how I felt that day they came to tell your father? First I find out you had another girlfriend that you kept secret. Then people from the UEDC tell us that you were on that island destroyed by a nuclear weapon."

"D-Dead!" Ranma repeated, not hearing a single thing that Akane just said.

"And now you just show up out of nowhere on my wedding day," Akane continued. "Are you trying to destroy my happiness and sanity again?"

Akane was finished speaking her mind and waited for Ranma's reply. Ranma finally overcame the thought of his death and responded. "Your happiness! You just destroyed mine and broke my heart in the process!"

Akane glared at him, not believing.

"For the past year, I've been battling aliens in space, protecting my mother, sister, and this planet. Day after day I've watched space go by and waited for the day when we would make it back to Earth. Waited for the day in which I come here and give you this..." At the point, Ranma pulled out the box containing the ring, showing the ring to Akane, which elicit a gasp from her. First of all it was a better engagement ring than the one she had. "..., propose and tell you how much I love you."

Akane gasped again, hearing the word that she longed to hear from Ranma at one time in her life.

"And what do I get? You, marrying some other guy!"

"Wait a minute," Akane interrupted. "You and your mother were in space?"

Though the information was classified, which Ranma didn't know, Ranma gave her an abridged version of that fateful day over a year ago. Even though it broke his train of thought, it was the least he could do.

"That's a different story that what that guy from the UEDC said," Akane responded after the explanation. And though it was different, she believed Ranma over the UEDC. Maybe it was because of the knowledge of his inability to tell a convincing lie.

"And what about this girl? Minmei, if I remember correctly?"

Ranma laughed. Not at her, but at his sudden remembrance of Minmei's letters that he hid in his room. Most certain Akane found them. "Minmei's my sister. Well, not exactly my sister. More of a good friend that I consider my sister."

As Ranma provided details, Akane realized that she'd once again jumped to conclusions without getting an explanation. Then again there hadn't been way to get that explanation, even if she would have listened to it. Then she surprised Ranma and apologized. This was part of the new Akane that grew up because of her relationship with Alex Satori.

"So who's the guy?" Now Ranma had completely forgotten the rest of what he was going to say. As for the question, some might think that Ranma would ask it in anger. However for those who knew Ranma knew that Ranma may get angry but he doesn't hold that anger for very long. Knowing that Akane believed he was dead, he was happy that Akane was able to move on. It was something that he would want her to do if by some chance he were to die, even though he was now heartbroken.

Of all the surprises this day dealt, Akane provided Ranma with the best yet. The guy she just married was the son of his second favorite action star.

"Is Mr. Satori there too? I'd really like to get his autograph." With nod from Akane, they were back on the ground.

* * *

Nabiki couldn't believe what she just heard. Ranma had been in space for the past year.

Suddenly she realized a situation that she could have never dreamed of was presented to her. The UEDC wanted the people of Macross Island to be dead, which meant Ranma would be made to return to the ship. When that time came, she wanted to convince Ranma to take her with him. To do so, she would have to prove that she had changed and reinvented herself. She had a feeling that he wouldn't even hear her if he thought she would treat him like before.

However she couldn't ask him in front of her family. Soun would definitely not let her leave for a destination unknown. That only meant one thing. She would have to be out of the house to ask. That meant she needed to be ready to leave if Ranma allowed her to come with him.

One thing she knew, she wasn't needed in Nerima anymore. Akane would get the dojo, but she was going to get that all along. Now Akane could keep the dojo solvent. And Kasumi would always wait for Tofu, even though he currently wasn't in Nerima.

Nabiki undressed, redressed and started packing a getaway bag: some underwear, clothes for a day or two (believing that she could pick something up while on the SDF-1), and some toiletries (comb, hairbrush, toothbrush and soap).

Ready, she left a note for her family and snuck out of the house. She then left for the train station. If Ranma was to make his way to the airport, he would have to go there.

Well, she hoped.

* * *

"Here ya go, pop." Ranma handed Genma his letter. It was fifteen minutes later, and all the guest had left after Ranma apologized for his disturbance.

"What's this, boy?" Genma asked, not giving a thought to look at it. It had taken some time but Ranma was able to convince Genma that he was no ghost or thing.

"It's from mom."

Genma was quick to open the envelope in anticipation of what passionate words his wife would convey to him. Instead it was the divorce decree. He read it in shock but was relieved to see he wasn't going to give up anything of monetary value. That was until he read that Nodoka had custody of Ranma with the right to remove him from his clan's registry.

And he started crying, reminiscence of Soun Tendo. He had just regained his lost heir only to have his wife take him away from him. He was sure his former in-laws, who never liked him in the first place, would allow it.

While Genma and Soun consoled, Akane and Alex came back downstairs, changed out of the wedding garb. They were going to honeymoon later, once a certain thing happened. Now wearing something different, Ranma had visual proof that Akane had gained more weight, all around the stomach. He definitely wasn't going to comment about it, for he didn't want to show up on Yokohama all bruised.

Speaking of Yokohama, "Well, I have to get goin'."

"What? You have to go now? Can't you stay for dinner?" Kasumi asked.

The prospect of Kasumi's cooking was very appealing. "I'm sorry, Kasumi, but I'll only here for a little while. I'm on duty soon, and I still have to go pick up my little sister."

"On duty," stated Genma. "On duty for what?"

"I'm a squadron commander," Ranma replied. "I fly in defense of the SDF-1."

As if to emphasize this, Genma noticed the goggles that Ranma had around his neck. Could Genma's day get any worse? The one thing that Ranma wasn't supposed to get involved in, he was involved in. His son was a pilot, following in the lines of other Hasegawa men.

"Well, then I have to say, 'Be well, Mr. Saotome'," said Alex. "I had hoped to spar with you, but with that display earlier, you're clearly better than me."

"Maybe the next I'm allowed to leave the ship. Besides, I want to beat the crap out of you for stealing my fiancée."

"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed. Then she noticed the smile on Ranma's face and realized that he was joking. "Let me walk you to the gate."

The two walked out in silence. So much of their conversations revolved around insults. But now it didn't seem appropriate. Nothing was said until they were at the gate.

"Ah, Ranma, I do love you. And at one time, I loved you much the same way I love Alex."

"Akane, if you're trying to apologize for finding someone new, don't. I would have wanted you to move on if I did dead."

"Oh, Ranma."

"But if he ever wrongs you in any way, let me know, and I'll put him in his place. That I promise."

Akane smiled at the fact that even taken, Ranma would still be there to protect her. Into a hug she brought him in. "Thank you, Ranma. And Ranma, please take care of yourself. I don't want another woman go through what I went through."

Ranma pulled back and looked at Akane confused.

"Oh, get off it, Ranma. I sure you'll find yourself someone else."

_Not likely_, Ranma thought. "Well, don't worry about me. No one can touch the great Ranma Saotome!"

They both laughed. Then Akane surprised him again and kissed him goodbye.

"Well, see ya, Akane."

"Take care, Ranma."

With that the two went their separate ways. Akane noticed Alex standing at the door. She figured he'd seen the kiss. She was going to have to explain the reason behind the kiss. It didn't appear proper to kiss her first boyfriend in front of her husband.

But there was no hatred in his face. "I understand," was all he said. He took her into his embrace and she started crying. She couldn't believe she found someone to spend the rest of her life that was so understanding.

* * *

Nabiki had been waiting at the train platform for fifteen minutes. It had been thirty minutes since she made her decision to run off with Ranma. The walk wasn't that long from the house, but she walked slowly, unsure when will be the next time she'd see the ward that was her home.

However Ranma seemed to be taking a long time getting there. So there began the thoughts of him taking to the roofs to get to the airport.

What seemed odd to Nabiki was the lack of people waiting for the trains. It was the middle of the afternoon, but she thought there would be more heading down into Tokyo. For the longest, it was just her. About five minutes ago, a girl with red hair showed up. Presently she was sitting on a bench, crying her eyes out though not trying to be obvious. She suspected the girl had just broken up with her boyfriend. That was a feeling that Nabiki never and didn't want to experience.

Hoping that she hadn't missed Ranma, Nabiki decided to wait until the next train before giving up and heading home, hoping they hadn't found her letter yet. Bored she turned to the other person on the platform. What caught her attention this time wasn't the fact that she was still crying but her hair. Or rather the shade of red it was. That and the fact her clothes were sizes too big for her.

It was reminiscent of Ranma's girl side. That's when it hit her. There was no way that red hair could be a dye job. She couldn't believe how she didn't realize Ranma was there, Nabiki was amazed how different Ranma looked without the pigtail. She never suspected she come across Ranma crying. Ranma never cried. Then again he was currently a she right now.

_Maybe Akane's wedding hit Ranma harder then I thought_, Nabiki said to herself.

Gathering her bag, she walked over to Ranma. "Ranma," she said, making a conscious effort not to sound like the Ice Queen.

Ranma instantly stopped his sobbing, realizing that there was someone there that knew her. Nabiki was shocked to see the tracks of tears that ran down her face.

"What do you want, Nabiki?" Ranma asked with spite in her voice. "If you're here looking to blackmail me, it wouldn't work since I won't be living in Japan any longer."

"No, no, no," replied Nabiki. "I-I just wanted to ask you something."

Ranma wondered why Nabiki seemed nervous. This was so not like her. "What cha want from me?" she asked while using her sleeve to wipe away the tears.

"I-It's not something I want from you." Ranma raised an eyebrow at this.

Nabiki took in a calming breath, herself surprised at her nervousness. _Okay, it's now or never_.

"Can I go with you?"

There was a moment of silence between the two. Nabiki was beginning to believe all this would go for not as she started remembering all the schemes she pulled on Ranma before he moved in with his mother. She broke the silence when she decided to plead her case.

First she apologized for what she did to Ranma. Next she explained why she wanted to do this; why she wanted to change. Through it all, she completely missed when Ranma said okay. What she wanted was an apology from Nabiki. Once that was done, she didn't care about anything else. Although she liked the idea that Nabiki wanted to change.

She had to reiterate herself once Nabiki was finished talking.

"Really!" Nabiki responded in surprise.

"Yeah, really."

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. Though I really don't know if I'm allowed bring people back with us."

_Us?_ Nabiki questioned.

Right then, the train on the Oedo line pulled into the station.

"Well, here's our first train."

Nabiki looked confused. "First train?"

"Yeah," she replied as they got on. "We have to pick up someone in Yokohama. Just so you know, it's a two person fanjet. So it's gonna be a tight fit on the way back."

"Huh? Whadda ya mean?"

* * *

Ranma, Nabiki, and Nabiki's bag stood in front of the Golden Dragon, a restaurant in the heart of Yokohama's Chinatown.

"And they'll let me call home?" Nabiki asked.

On the way, Ranma laid down some rules in which she'd be allowed to come with them once they left this restaurant. One was no schemes involving Ranma, Nodoka, and Minmei (his so-called sister). The other was she had to call the dojo so that they would not worry about her (more like not let Akane worry about her big sister). As long as she did that, Ranma would guarantee that she would come with them, and she would have a place to stay.

"Sure. They're like my second family. They won't mind," Ranma replied.

_I thought we were your second family_, Nabiki thought. "Ah, Ranma." Nabiki stopped Ranma before opening the door. "You're still in your curse form."

The comment did nothing to stop Ranma, for those inside already knew about the curse. She opened the door to an argument between Minmei and her parents. Also there was some guy that Ranma had never seen before.

_Probably new help_, she thought.

"How about if I join her?" the guy stated.

Ranma didn't know what the argument was about, but it must be something serious if this guy had to get involved. It took Minmei latching onto the guy's arm to make Ranma realize it might have some thing to do with Minmei returning to the SDF-1.

"Ranma, what are you do here?" asked Minmei's mother out of the blue. "Nevermind. We need your help. We need you to convince Minmei that she's not needed on that SDF-1 to entertain their soldiers. That's she's needed here to help her family."

Ranma didn't want any part of this argument but she had to answer, as much as it pained her. She was there to fly Minmei to and from the ship, so it was her that gave the disappointing news. Minmei's mother gasped in heartache while her father grumbled his disappointment. It was all over the fact that one person they trusted with their daughter's life was taking her away from them.

The guy seem put off by the reaction of the grown ups, unable to understand how this girl seemed to hold more weight than him. He readily volunteered to join Minmei, but this girl came in and got a reaction after telling them that she was there to take Minmei back.

"Oh, here." Ranma pulled out the other envelope from her pocket and handed it to Minmei's father (the closest to her). He opened it and both parents read the letter that was inside. The gist of the letter was Nodoka asking permission to take care of their daughter as a thanks for looking after her son when she could not. Then she apologized for any harm Genma brought upon their family whenever Ranma was around. Fortunately the Lynns didn't know Genma.

"Ranma, what type of person is your mother?" Minmei's father asked.

Ranma told them about the Nodoka she had grown to love and call mother. That included the schooling sessions that Nodoka had both her and Minmei do. The parents seemed impressed that Ranma's mother was high on education. They were pleased and gave their approval to allow Minmei to go.

Nabiki was surprised to hear about Mrs. Saotome, the fact that she was a child genius. But that didn't explain how she ended up marrying a slouch in Genma Saotome.

"So when do we leave?" asked the guy.

"We?" Ranma's eyebrow shot up asking, _Who is this guy?_ Minmei happily helped him out as if she was reading his mind. As it turned out, the guy was the eldest son of Max and Lena, Lynn Kyle. Through Ranma had not once heard them make any references to their other son, she felt obligated to let him come along, especially with all the support they supplied to her mother.

"Now, I guess," Ranma finally replied. Kyle headed off up the stairs while Ranma had to think about how exactly everyone was going to fit.

"Um, excuse me," Nabiki tentatively spoke up. No one had paid her any attention until that point. "Ranma said that I could use your phone. Is that okay?"

Minmei's mother said sure even without knowing who the girl was. That's how much they trusted Ranma.

The two left the room. So did Minmei's father as he went to get so water for Ranma. The two "siblings" now alone, Minmei walked over to Ranma and gave her a sisterly hug. Next she said thank you. Then she asked who the girl was.

"Nabiki," was Ranma simple answer.

The mention of that name caused Minmei's face to become full of spite. She knew of Nabiki through the stories Ranma told. She instantly didn't like her.

"And what is that witch doing here?"

"Now, now. Don't be that way," Ranma replied. "She wants to change her way and asked if she could come with us."

"Ranma, you're too kind for your own good. But why?"

"Nabiki's probably looking for friends right now."

"Not likely," Minmei interjected.

"Minmei, you have to take into account that she different than us. We're only childs. We've always had the attention of our parents. Nabiki's a middle child. Sure she always had her sisters, but she also had to fight with them for the attention of their parents. And from what I've been told, she wasn't too successful since Kasumi was her mother's favorite and Akane was her father's. Most likely she thought that by taking over the family's finances after her father stopped doing anything, she would get the attention she so desired from her father.

"Then there was high school, where all of the guys desired Akane over her."

"Well, she was blackmailing most of them," Minmei interrupted.

"Don't interrupt. Now where was I? Oh, yeah. I wouldn't put it passed her that she regrets pushing Akane off on me, now realizing how much attention from her father she would have gotten. We might never know what would have happen if I was allowed to pick from the three. After all I do consider her cuter than Akane. I might have just picked her."

"And suffer the torment that would have followed," Minmei added, much to Ranma's dislike. "Since you brought her instead of Akane, did something happen between the two of you?"

"Let's not talk about Akane. Besides I am longer obligated to the Tendos."

This confused Minmei until Ranma told her about the divorce and the custody.

At that time, everybody except Minmei's mother returned to the room. Nabiki would have entered sooner, but she couldn't help eavesdropping on the conversation. She couldn't believe how much Minmei seem to hate without even knowing her. Also she couldn't believe how much smarter Ranma sounded. That's not to say that she believed the things that Minmei said about her, though her face turned red at hearing Ranma say she was cuter than Akane.

"All set," Kyle said, holding a book bag size duffle.

"That's great," Ranma replied, while taking the kettle from Minmei's father. She didn't know why, but something about Kyle was upsetting to her. Ranma lifted the kettle over her head. With a pour and change, they would be set to leave. Unfortunately there was no change with the pour.

"Awe man," Ranma sighed. It wasn't exactly the type of reaction Nabiki would have expected.

"Is there something the matter, son?" asked Minmei's father.

"No, sir," replied Ranma. "This has been happenin' ever so often lately."

Turning to the others, she announced that they were leaving. As the others exited the restaurant, Minmei's mother stopped Ranma and gave her a package to give to her mother. Asking what it was, she was told that it was pictures from whenever Ranma stopped by.

With the package in hand, Ranma quickly caught up with the others on their way to the train platform.

* * *

"We're gonna fly back in that?" Kyle commented on seeing Minmei's fanjet. "How are we all supposed to fit?"

"You don't have ta come," Ranma retorted.

"Not likely," Kyle replied. "I'm needed there to protect my cousin from those soldiers."

"I've been doin' just fine," Ranma fired back.

Kyle laughed at the thought that such a short, cute little girl could protect Minmei, much less herself. Ranma took offense to that. Not over the fact Kyle believed she had the ability to protect Minmei. She took offense over being called cute. She was down right gorgeous. So gorgeous that she could get any man she wanted. Don't let anyone tell you that Ranma had no vanity towards his female body. He may not have any feminine modesty, but he was definitely vain when it came to his/her looks.

Kyle was lucky that the girls came out from the terminal when they did.

"Okay, Saotome, how are we gonna fit?" asked Nabiki.

After much thought about this on the way, Ranma came up with, "You and Kyle in the back and me and Minmei in the front."

Nabiki was immediately put off by this. She was not about to sit in the lap of some stranger for god knows how long of a flight to the SDF-1. She opened her mouth to say something about it. Only it wasn't her voice that came out.

"I must protest!"

"Oh, get over it, Kyle. Think realistically. Nabiki is taller and weighs more than me, while Minmei is closer to my size.

"Did you just call me fat, Saotome?" Nabiki asked. One thing she was not was fat.

_Where did that come from?_ Ranma asked herself. "No! I ain't callin' ya fat. Remember, I have to fly this thing."

Nabiki wasn't satisfied with her answer, but she was going to have to live with it. That is if she wanted to leave Japan today.

Satisfied with her own answer, Ranma got everybody into the plane. In the back, Nabiki whispered into Kyle's ear, "If I feel an erection, I will make you wish you didn't join us."

Kyle gulped at the threat. Though he displayed a sense of nonchalantness around these three girls, he did find Nabiki attractive, along with her red hair friend. Nevertheless with Nabiki's threat, he was going to have to use every meditative technique he knew to prevent wood.

* * *

Author's note:

Akane was never in the plan of being a major player in this story. Since this is to be a Ranma/Lisa match up, I needed something that takes Akane out of the picture that does not involve killing her. As for Nabiki being out of character, currently the story is two years after the beginning. People change.


	13. Confrontation revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 13: Confrontation

* * *

"Lt. Saotome requesting clearance for landing."

"Roger. You're cleared to land on _Prometheus_," Sammie said.

"_Prometheus_?" Ranma's voice sounded perplexed.

"Yes, sir. The civilian are still partying on _Daedalus_," Sammie relayed.

"Roger that," Ranma replied. "Proceeding to _Prometheus_."

Once Ranma was off the comm, Sammie, training on Lisa's station, looked over to Claudia, recently returned to start her watch. "Was it just me or did Lt. Saotome's voice sound different?"

Claudia had to think about it. "I believe it did," Claudia finally answered. "We'll just have to ask him about it."

The answer seemed reasonable to Sammie. She really had much more to concern herself with than his voice. She was learning Lisa's job. Also she getting a different vibe from Claudia much like the vibe she got whenever Kim spent the night with Lt. Hunter.

_Damn, is everyone on this crew havin' sex?_ she asked herself.

* * *

"Say, does Lt. Saotome look different to you?" asked one of the deck crewmen of _Prometheus_.

In a small way, the addition of two people to a two-person fanjet was somewhat a blessing for Ranma. Instead of returning to the SDF-1 around twilight, the fanjet landed in the pitch black of night. There was enough darkness to mask Ranma's current sex, though not entirely good enough.

"Naw, man. Ya just seein' things," replied his companion. "But did you see that hottie with him?"

"That was Minmei, dude!"

"No, no. The other one. The one with the guy in the rear. And she's Asian, too."

"And how were you able to tell that?"

"I got good eyes."

"You got good eyes but tell me that I'm seeing things when I comment about Lt. Saotome."

"Look, I didn't exactly see Lt. Saotome. Okay!"

"Probably the lieutenant's girlfriend anyway," the first guy commented after a brief minute of quiet, not even thinking that she and the guy couple be a couple.

"Man, he's got all the luck. Him and Lt. Hunter. He's got Minmei. I even heard he's made out with Commander Hayes."

"Where'd you hear that?" questioned the first guy.

"Ben from Vermilion Squadron. You know he was with the two of them while they were MIA. Said they kissed twice, and once the commander actually appeared to melt into the kiss."

The first guy looked at his companion with skepticism. It was well known that Ben Dixon was all talk, oftentimes claiming more kills than he actually had. "If it was from anyone but Dixon, I might believe you," he replied. His companion couldn't reply to that comment as the next round of landing started happening.

* * *

It wasn't until morning that the rest of the main bridge crew found of the decision of the defense council. Needless to say they weren't pleased. As it stood, the SDF-1 was ordered to return to space. The council's rationale behind its decision was based on the fact the Zentraedi left the Earth alone after the miscalculated (which it was now being called) jump to Plutospace.

But on top of that, the citizens of Macross weren't allowed to leave. According to the cover story the council made up, terrorists attacked the island shortly after the launch of the SDF-1. During the fighting, against mainly Civil Defense mecha, the terrorists detonated a nuclear warhead that had somehow gotten into their hands. Unfortunately the yield was greater than they thought as the warhead destroyed the entire island plus anything within a radius twenty miles from island. Thus the citizens of Macross, any guest there for the launch, both carriers, and the terrorists themselves were killed.

"That's totally unfair!" exclaimed Sammie.

"Can they do that?" asked Kim, more upset that she was still going to have to compete for Rick's affection.

"Right. The citizens shouldn't have to continue to be a part of the conflict," commented Vanessa.

As usual it was Claudia that provided the voice of reason. "Now, now, girls. Orders are orders, and we have to follow them, no matter how ridiculous or unreasonable the people giving them are."

Lisa nodded in agreement. She was refusing to speak because she was so mad at the council and her father in particular, being the military advisor on the council. She had had so much faith that her father, the great Admiral Donald Hayes, would listen to them and sue for peace. Instead he, what she considered, chickened out by giving them their orders and the excuses behind them. What upset her even more was the letter he had someone give her. Needless to say, it was a rather quiet flight back.

"Captain, we aren't just going to sit here and allow the council to dictate what happens to the civilians?" inquired Sammie. "Surely you have a plan where they'll allow them to leave?"

"Don't you, Captain?" chimed in Kim.

That was all Gloval could take. Of course he was thinking of ways to force the council to at least allow the civilians leave the ship. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Your lack of discipline is only adding to the problem. Back to your stations, all of you. I know you're all upset, but you groaning and complaining isn't going to help the civilians."

Making his way to the hatch, he continued. "Now you will pardon me as I leave. I need to prepare a statement to inform the civilians of the council's decision." He left the bridge, with the customary knock on the head.

Once Gloval was gone, Vanessa commented, with much anger, that it wasn't fair. Her two compatriots nodded in agreement. The thought of the council somehow punishing the inhabitants of Macross permeated amongst the three.

"That's absolutely true," Lisa spoke for the first time. She spoke in a low tone, with hints of anger, but loud enough to hear over the instruments. "But we can't blame the captain for things that are well out of his hands. If you need to gripe, you should to the right people, like my father."

"Ladies, please! I think we should cool our tempers. Besides, we need to give the captain all our support during this time," Claudia responded.

After a moment in which no one spoke, Kim said, "Claudia's right. We do need to support the captain."

The hatch opened again, and everyone became tight lipped as the replacement crew walked in to relieve them of duty.

"But right now, I could go for some food," Kim added, switching subjects.

"I'm with you, Kim," agreed Sammie. "Why don't we go to the White Dragon?"

That wasn't exactly the place she wanted to go, but once Vanessa agreed with Sammie, Kim pretty much followed along. She went along thinking there was a good probability Minmei wouldn't be there since she no longer lived at the White Dragon.

Lisa agreed to join the girls. She really hadn't had anything to eat in a while.

* * *

Rick was having a real interesting day. The day started with a call saying that Ranma would not be available for his shift. Whenever Ranma wasn't available, Rick had to do the patrol schedules, if they weren't done already.

Of course Ranma hadn't done a patrol schedule. He hadn't returned to duty yet. Yesterday was supposed be his first day back, but he was tasked with flying Minmei to Japan to see her parents.

Rick wasn't concerned about it now. Now it was lunchtime and he headed into Macross City from the squadron room on _Prometheus_. He was headed for the White Dragon. He went there on a bi-weekly basis, hooked on Chinese food during his stay when he first arrived.

Not far away from Rick, walking down the other side of the street, were Minmei and Kyle. Since they had gotten in late, Kyle spent the night on the couch with Minmei and Nodoka at the penthouse, much to the surprise of Nodoka. Now they were on their way to the White Dragon to reunite Kyle with his parents.

It was Minmei who first spotted Rick before he turned the corner around the restaurant. Let it be known that Minmei was the jealous type. It was unfortunate that she was the one who wanted them to remain friends. That all changed the second Kim Young entered the picture. The relationship developing between Rick and Kim made Minmei realize what Rick actually meant to her. The problem was she couldn't tell Rick. She didn't want to appear that she was backtracking on her previous statements. With Kyle by her side, she suddenly realized what she could do. She would try to make Rick jealous.

"Rick," she called out, just as he was rounding the corner.

Rick stopped when he heard his name called. Turning to the direction of the voice, he spotted Minmei coming in his direction, and she was dragging an older man with her.

"Hey, Minmei," he said as the pair walked up to him.

Inside, Minmei was upset the sight of her with another man didn't give Rick the immediate reaction she was looking for. So she latched onto Kyle right arm and placed herself into his embrace. But she still didn't get a reaction. Kyle didn't understand what was going on but nevertheless brought Minmei closer into his embrace, to her surprise. Though Minmei maybe his cousin, he often didn't see her in this light. At least not until she started developing.

"How are you today?" she asked.

She expected some sort of change, but she got the normal response. He was okay. He was always okay. Then again, being alive was all Rick was striving for right now.

"Who's the guy?" Rick asked.

"Oh. This is my cousin, Lynn Kyle," she gestured up to the tall guy with long straight black and a serious expression on his face. "He volunteered to come back, which allowed me to return to the SDF-1." It was the truth, to a certain extent.

"How nice of you to do that for your cousin, Kyle," Rick replied, as he continued walking to the door.

"It was nothing," was Kyle's reply. He sounded as serious as he looked.

The door opened and they heard, "Welcome to the White…" That's all that was said as the female owner of the restaurant was too shaken up by the sight in front of her.

"K-K-Kyle," gasped Lena.

"Hello, mother. I'm home," responded Kyle.

Lena rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. With the way EVE's sun shone, she saw the three as shadows. However when she looked again, Kyle was still there. _I'm not dreaming_, she thought.

Taking Kyle into her arms was her final proof that it really was him, who had been missing for over a year. Bringing her son back out to arms length, Lena drug him to the kitchen where Max was currently cooking in preparation for the lunch rush.

"Dear, look. Kyle's returned," Lena commented. Max didn't reply. He didn't even look up to see his son.

Lena didn't like this and was upset that the father wouldn't acknowledge the presence of the long lost son. But Kyle understood and told his mother not to worry. Max was Max and was set in his ways.

That seemed to calm Lena down. She wished there wasn't animosity between the two. She hoped that they could put that aside. If she only knew how deep their animosity was towards each other.

As Kyle guided Lena away, Max's stoic façade broke as a tear went down the side of his face. Along with that tear came a smile. Though there was bad history between the two, Max was glad that his son had made his way home.

* * *

"Do you think it is real?" asked Bron.

The three spies knelt outside a Japanese restaurant. They stared into a window display of what the restaurant had to offer. All eyes were focused on a bowl of pork cutlet and rice.

"It has to be real," replied Konda.

He based that on the smell coming from inside. It made all of their mouths water. The carnival that was the "Welcome Back Home" party ended the previous night. With the small amount of their own ration expiring not long after arriving on the SDF-1, the three Zentraedi spies found themselves in the pains of hunger.

"Now how are we to get it?" asked Bron.

They had been lucky that the food stands during the party were all providing food for free. However now that that had been taken away, they had no other means of getting more food. Rico was beginning to understand that the Micronian society was somewhat based on the exchange of paper and metals. It was just they hadn't figured out how to obtain such paper and metals.

Since Rico was the leader of this trio, he decided it was up to him to get them food. So he went to curb and ran shoulder first into and broke the window. The bowl of pork cutlet was immediately grabbed, and they started eating, with Rico taking a piece of cutlet and the other two the rice. They instantly found it to be hard and waxy. They were so hungry that they continued to eat it anyway.

It wasn't long before the owner of the restaurant, a heavy-set woman, came out to see what created the noise. She was surprised to see three men going to town on a wax representation of her menu. Surprise to find there were people that had fallen through the social safety net set up by the hierarchy of the SDF-1.

She wasn't about to turn a blind eye to her fellow man, so she offered them some real food. The three were set to run when discovered but were surprised when they were offered a hot meal from the woman.

* * *

Max interested in eating right now but wasn't interested in eating alone. Ben was on duty, Rick had already left for lunch, and the new guys just liked to hang around each other (still not use to Max and Ben). As for his commander, he had called in again. Apparently his very mysterious illness had flared up while in Japan, so there was no telling where he was. However Max heard he brought a girl back with him. It was most likely the good lieutenant was spending some quality time with her and using his illness as an excuse.

Max couldn't blame him. He could use some quality time himself. Though he maybe an ace Veritech pilot, he was still a teenager with teenage hormones flowing through his body. His quiet and unassuming nature had made him quite the wanted man before arriving on Macross Island. But since he became a pilot, he hadn't had much time to chase women.

Max heard a woman call out his name. "Hey, Lt. Sterling." He turned in the direction of the voice and jumped in surprise as Commander Hayes and the three often referred as the "Bridge Bunnies" by the pilots, Rick's friend Kim Young, and her friends Sammie Porter and Vanessa Leeds were right behind him.

"Oh, hi, Commander Hayes," he acknowledged with a salute. He was grateful he wasn't on the battlefield, for he would have surely been shot down if he allowed a Battlepod get that close before noticing.

Lisa calmly returned his salute as one of the girls asked him why he seemed surprised to see them. He replied that he had been thinking about where to eat lunch.

"How about you join us," stated Sammie.

"Yeah," added Vanessa. "We're on our way to the White Dragon. That's if you want Chinese."

Chinese sounded good to Max. He could go for some roast pork lo mein. So he agreed to join. Besides who could refuse lunch with four beautiful women?

It wasn't long before the five arrived at the White Dragon. They walked into a party. It was packed like normal, but it didn't seem like it was the same type of crowd there for lunch. One thing was for sure; there wasn't an empty table in the place.

That was until both Max and Kim noticed Rick waving at them. Rick had a table all to himself with a look of jealous anger on his face. Though they wandered what the look was for, they were quick to join him at his table. Kim sat on one side of Rick, while Max sat on the other. Sammie sat next to Max, Vanessa sat next to Kim, and Lisa sat in between them.

"So what's up, sir?" Max asked.

"Max, how many times do I have to tell ya that you don't have to call me sir? We're the same rank now," Rick stated.

"Anyway," Rick continued, "Minmei's cousin's just returned from Japan. So they're throwing a party for those around the neighborhood."

"Is he cute?" was the first thing that came out of the mouths of both Sammie and Vanessa. All they got as an answer was a huff from Rick. Obvious something had developed between Rick and Minmei's cousin. Kim quickly picked up that he might be the cause of Rick's foul mood.

Across the room, Minmei had glanced over to Rick and spotted Kim sitting next to him. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the woman trying to steal her man…er…hanging out with her best guy friend. She still was on Kyle's arm, so she thought it would be good to introduce him to the woman sitting next to Rick.

She and Kyle were close to the table to hear Rick huff at the time two of the women asked a question. With that knowledge, it appeared that she'd gotten the reaction from Rick she wanted. Now he would feel how she felt every time she saw him with that-that-that… Hussy was the best word Minmei could think of.

"Hi, guys," Minmei spoke, getting their attention. "I would like to introduce you to the guest of honor, Lynn Kyle."

The ladies, plus Max, turned their heads to Minmei and the guy with long black hair Asian whose arm she was attached. Three of the women gasped at Kyle looks, most surprisingly one being Lisa Hayes. His appearance reminded her of Karl Riber. Granted Karl's hair was shorter and brown, but their faces were so similar.

"Kyle, these are friends of Ranma from the military," Minmei added.

Kyle scoffed at them for being in the military.

"Rick, m'boy, mind introducing me to these fine young women?" asked the mayor, who appeared out of nowhere.

Rick's jealous anger was instantly gone, surprised by Tommy Luan's inquiry.

Kyle went into reception mode. "Greeting, Mr. Mayor. It's great to have you back on the Earth. My name's Lynn Kyle, and I'd like to welcome you to my parents' restaurant."

That garnered another gasped from the girls, hearing him speak.

The mayor was unsure why Kyle felt the need to introduce himself. He remembered the kid from before and the reason why he left the island. Tommy Luan commented to Kyle, "Even though you hate the army, you have to admire the beauty of the women that served."

If it wasn't clear before that Kyle had a distaste for the military, he made it known by his actions. He reminded Lisa of Karl more since he expressed those same views. For the other single women at the table, it was a big turn off. Tommy Luan saw the tension between the two groups and quickly excused himself.

Sammie was first to break the silence. "So what is it that you have against the military?"

Kyle glared at her before saying that it wasn't just the military. He hated fighting period. He went on to say, "Fighting produces nothing. It only leads to more fighting, causing destruction and devastation."

That got Max to stare at him as if saying "what's his problem?" "So are you saying that those who serve in the military condone violence?" he went on to ask.

"Well, I didn't join the Robotech Defense Force because I like violence," Rick added his two cents. "And I'm sure it's the same for everyone else at this table."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Minmei wouldn't back Kyle up on this. She was grateful to those in the RDF. There was also the fact that her brother was in the RDF, and she would never go against him. Having gotten the reaction out of Rick that she wanted, she didn't want things to escalate any further. She had nothing against Lisa, Max, and Kim's two friends. She looked at the time and quickly remembered it was time for MBC to broadcast the special she taped two days ago. She announced that to applause.

She turned on the television, and sure enough there was Minmei in the center of a spotlight with a big band orchestra playing the intro to _My Boyfriend's a Pilot_.

The song lasted all of one verse before the words "Special Bulletin" appeared on the screen. When the words disappeared, a news anchor was on the screen, and he delivered the dreaded news to the quieted restaurant that the United Earth Defense Council had denied the citizens of Macross the permission to leave the SDF-1. And as quick he appeared, the anchor was gone, and the station returned to the end of Minmei song.

Those not at Rick's table were all stunned by the news. "They spent all that time, and that's the best they could have come up with," murmured Kim. It wasn't like they could concern themselves with it. They were already stuck on the SDF-1 for the foreseeable future.

"There are some of them over there. Why don't we ask them why we're being held prisoner?" The comment from one of the restaurant patrons filtered into their consciousness making it obvious that the six weren't paying attention to their surroundings. A number of men had surrounded the table.

A man in a brown coat got up into Rick's face asking if he could explain what was going on. Rick was chosen for the sole reason he had been there the longest. But Lisa, being the superior officer, wasn't about to let him and those with him harass her pilots.

"Stop this right now," she said. "How can you talk to him...us this way? We risk our lives to make sure that you have one. To make sure that we finally made it back home safely."

The others around the restaurant allowed what Lisa just said sink in. However the guy in the brown coat wasn't having it.

"What do you want? Our gratitude? There isn't much to give since you taken everything else away from us and forced us to live on your spaceship."

He paused as he waited for an answer. When he didn't get a prompt one, he slammed his fist on the table, causing Sammie to jump, and demanded an answer.

Shaken herself by the man actions, Lisa tried to tell the guy to give them more time. She knew the captain wasn't going to let the council's decision stand.

But the guy was hearing none of it. It got to the point that he started to move towards Lisa. At that point, Max placed a hand on his shoulder and told him to calm down. Surprised by the contact, the guy turned around and swung on him.

* * *

Ranma, returned to his natural gender, and Nabiki walked down the streets of Macross City. Unlike Kyle, who stayed with Minmei and Nodoka, Nabiki spent her night in Ranma's room on base. Of course they had to sneak in because women weren't supposed to be in the men's barracks after 2300 SDF-1 time.

Since they went directly to the base and avoided the city, this was the first time Nabiki saw the insides. She was amazed by what they were able to do. She had seen pictures of the outside of the SDF-1 on Macross Island. Everyone on Earth must have seen those pictures. She saw the silhouette of it as they landed. But never in her wildest imagination did she think that something like an entire city, an entire island, could be built inside a spaceship.

Ranma's tour showed her just how it was done. The city wasn't on just one level. It was more like three, at least that's what she saw. Right now they were on what Ranma deemed the main level. She was starting to tell the difference. On the first level was the park. The second level was pretty much residence. She wondered if Ranma's mother lived on that level, but she wouldn't know as Ranma continued his tour.

As for the main level, well Nabiki would say that it was the heart of the city. She saw an open-air amphitheater, entertainment establishments, and restaurants galore. She even saw the schools. It never came to mind the need for a grade school or high school. She was surprised to hear Ranma say there was even a college. She would have never thought that there were enough people her age and not in the military to warrant a college. It allowed her to think that she should go there tomorrow and check about enrolling to continue her education.

Nabiki had no idea where they were headed next. Maybe he was finally going to take her to his mother's. Certainly she couldn't spend another night in his room. She didn't mind it much, with Ranma generously giving her his bed while he slept on his couch. The thought of letting Ranma sleep in the bed did cross her mind, but she had quickly shaken that thought away.

Wanting to know where they were headed, she spoke. "Just where are we headed, Saotome?"

It just so happened the second she said it, he came to a stop, and she bumped into him.

"Here," Ranma replied.

Nabiki looked up and saw a building similar to the one where they picked up Minmei in Yokohama.

"Wait, don't tell me. This is the restaurant of that Kyle guy's parents." It was a guess that Ranma soon proved right.

"I'm going to see if they'll allow you to stay here," Ranma went on to add.

"What!" Nabiki was surprised to hear this. She suspected to stay with Nodoka.

She didn't get the chance to protest as the doors to the restaurant opened. The doors opened to what could be called a war scene in the movie sense. A broken chair here. A split table there. Bodies were laying everywhere, showing signs of bruises.

Furthermore amongst all of this stood two guys and four ladies in uniform, Minmei, and Kyle. The guys were huffing, signaling to Nabiki that they were involved in the fight. Not really knowing anyone but Ranma, she decided to stand back and observe what was going on.

"For someone who doesn't like fighting, he sure knows how," commented the one with blue hair.

"Guys, what's going on here?" asked Ranma. He had walked up to the two guys in uniform.

"Oh, hey, boss. It's good to see ya better," said the guy with brown hair.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Rick," replied Ranma. "Come on and tell me what happened." Nabiki could see that Ranma was really concerned about what happened at this restaurant.

"Well, sir, it's like this," spoke the other guy. Nabiki was surprised to hear two people refer to Ranma with a sign of authority. Then again, she still didn't know what Ranma did on the SDF-1. "The citizens didn't exactly like the news that permission to leave was denied."

Turning her attention from Ranma and the two other guys, Nabiki turned it to the other people that were standing when they arrived. The tall brunette was the only one that drew her attention the most. She had this look of longing on her face. A look she was familiar with after observing Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo whenever Ranma was around. And the brunette's longing was clearly directed at Kyle. She didn't know why the lady would show concern about him. In the little time that Nabiki had known Kyle, he came off as a jerk.

Her eyebrow raised as the brunette gasped and hurried over to Kyle for some reason. Nabiki turned her attention to Kyle and noticed he was bleeding from the side of his mouth. That garnered a smile from Nabiki. Then she saw the oddest thing. Minmei stopped the brunette and took care to the bleeding while Kyle simply glared at the brunette. Nabiki wondered if there was some history between the two.

Back to the Minmei interception, Nabiki could see some type of affection from her. In the short time she knew the girl (the train and plane rides), this was the most affection that she'd shown towards him. It seemed she was all into Ranma, even though they both claimed it was nothing more than a brother/sister relationship.

Or maybe this was how it was whenever Ranma wasn't around.

Nabiki's attention was drawn away yet again when Ranma motioned her to follow him into the kitchen where she saw a tall, lean, and beautiful older woman and a short and stocky man hiding away from the commotion from the other side. Nabiki immediately guessed that they had to be the owners of the restaurant, meaning they were Kyle's parents. She couldn't see any family resemblance, though she could see a little Minmei in the woman.

"Here you are, Uncle Max, Aunt Lena," Ranma said.

"Oh, Ranma, when did you get here?" asked Lena. "Is it safe out there yet?"

"Oh, sure," replied Ranma.

Then he asked them for a favor. When they replied that they do anything for him, he asked if they could house Nabiki. They both looked at her (with Max more or less checking her out).

Then Lena asked if this was his girlfriend. In typical Ranma fashion, he went into full denial mode. It was almost comical watching Ranma flail about, trying to explain that she and him were only friends even if she just happened to be a girl.

Eventually Lena started laughing, and Nabiki soon joined her. Lena didn't mean to make Ranma act this way. She hadn't believed Nodoka when she said that Ranma had missed out on some development while growing up. She remembered when Kyle acted like this not that long after moving onto the island, and she couldn't wait for Jason to get past this stage too.

When she stopped laughing, she happily took Nabiki into her home, Max not being consulted one iota.

* * *

Author's Notes:

The relationship between Minmei and Kyle from Minmei's perspective is different than the show mainly due to Ranma being the brotherly figure that Kyle is supposed to be.

Originally a fight between Ranma and Kyle was planned at this stage. But a better opportunity for that.


	14. Shot Down revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 14: Shot Down

* * *

"Good morning, Nabiki."

"Good morning, Mrs. Lynn."

Nabiki made her way into the kitchen to fix some breakfast. That's how her days began for the past two months. Wake up around nine, have breakfast, vegetate until lunch at which time she would get to work.

That's right, work. Even though Lena was kind enough to Ranma to allow Nabiki to stay, Nabiki wanted to compensate the Lynns, not fleece them like a certain panda. Ranma, naturally, said that he would give her some of what he made in the RDF. However Nabiki wasn't about to accept it, thinking that if she did, she would just revert into the person she was trying to get away from. Lena off-handedly mentioned that she was still looking for a waitress to replace Minmei.

Smart enough to take the hint, Nabiki accepted the offer before Ranma could realize what was going on. Having never truly worked before, initially it was rough on her. The only thing she had going for was her excellent memory recall. That and the fact she looked great in the cheongsam that was her uniform. The dress led to many male (and a few female) customers making passes on her. None of them were anywhere close to Ranma in the looks department, so eventually she got use to them.

Most times after lunch, she would go into the city. She was still amazed they were able to reconstruct an island inside the belly of the SDF-1 into a city with high-rises, a botanical garden, a park, a movie theatre, though it only played movies that she had already seen, and an open-air amphitheater. For the first month, she had Ranma as a guide. That allowed her to do two things. She was able to tell if her feelings for him were genuine, and she found out what exactly Ranma did on the SDF-1 that gained him much respect amongst the soldiers of the ship. It turned out Ranma had joined the Robotech Defense Force as a pilot. That wasn't a surprise; it was a martial artist's duty to protect those who can't protect themselves. Moreover it wasn't a surprise that Ranma proved himself to be the best. What did surprise her was the fact Ranma was considered a leader on the ship. She never expected that. Then again, she was working with preconceived notions of Ranma before he left with his mother. She had met a couple of his friends, Rick and Max, the day after she arrived, and they seemed pretty nice to her. Though she was still getting use to meeting people without developing an ulterior motive.

Nowadays she rarely saw Ranma. Most of his time was spent on duty or with his mother, who she had yet to see. That didn't mean she spent her trips alone. No, she spent much of her time with Minmei. For Nabiki it felt a bit strange, hanging out with a girl three years her junior. She wondered if this was what Kasumi felt around Ranma. At first it seemed Minmei was annoyed to be around her, which meant to Nabiki that Ranma had put her up to it. Now they were becoming friendly. In fact Minmei took one of Nabiki's ideas to her management group.

She would make it back to the restaurant before the dinner rush and would help clean up afterwards. That's how things went. It could be better, but she wasn't about to complain. She voluntarily decided she'd rather be with Ranma than put up with those guys at her university. She was the one who thought that coming to the SDF-1 would be a great place to change the perception of who she was while growing up.

But she didn't have to dwell on how her days were spent since they were set to change at the beginning of the next school semester.

"So what are going to see today?" Lena asked. She asked that every day. It wasn't asked in an attempted to be Nabiki's mother. She just wanted to know where Nabiki would be. Still being new to Macross, it was easy for the young girl to get lost much in the same manner as Rick.

"Minmei wants me to meet her at the arcade. I think she wants me to meet her manager," Nabiki replied.

"Well, you have a good time." What that she left for bed to get a couple more hours of sleep, having gotten Jason off to school.

* * *

"Ranma, I think you need to rest."

Ranma looked at his mother from across the workout room, as they were in the middle of kendo practice. Ranma sweated profusely and breathed heavily. It wasn't because of the training. They had only been at it for thirty minutes. It was Ranma living at the edge of exhaustion after working a fifteen-hour shift. Add on top of that the two-hour workout he usually did to wind down.

This was usual for him these days, as he logged mega Veritech time, either actual flight time or in the simulator. There were the many hours spent in the gym working on the Art. This was his way of coping with his heartache. He was sure Nabiki had been trying to liven up his mood. It might have worked for a few days, but as the days went by, the fact her last name was Tendo made the heartache return. So he made sure he wouldn't see her as he passed her off on Minmei.

"No, mother. Just a little more," he insisted.

"No, Ranma. That's enough for today." Nodoka knew her son was hurting. She understood that he was trying to cope with the lost of his first love, but she couldn't watch him do this to himself anymore. He was dead on his feet, making obvious mistakes. If she had known how deep into sorrow and depression he was, she would have never agreed to continue his training.

"Mother," Ranma said, sounding annoyed and tired. It wasn't often that he used the word "mother" when speaking to Nodoka, and he had used it twice within a minute.

He lifted his bokken to the ready position to coax Nodoka into continuing. Usually it would have worked, as Nodoka was eager to pass onto her son the Art of her family. But today she threw her bokken aside, pretty much signaling to Ranma that they were done.

"Ranma, you need to get some sleep." She then told him that he needed to think about his fellow pilots, especially those serving under him. They couldn't afford for him to slip up because he grew too tired while in the cockpit.

Ranma quickly complied. It might have something to do with ten years of separation. Or maybe deep down, Ranma was a mama's boy. This was different than being with Genma, who didn't care about Ranma's condition. It didn't matter to Nodoka at that moment as long as Ranma agreed to listen to her. This time she hoped it would be the last time that she'd see him like this.

Nodoka took the bokken out of his hands. She then had to catch him, as if the act of relieving him of his tool seemed to be a shut off mechanism. With Ranma in hand, she led him back to his barracks and to his room. As they headed up, what motor skills Ranma had left ceased, and he became the walking dead.

This was new to Nodoka. It made her wonder how much sleep her son was getting. She had already found out through interrogation that he had been getting 9-10 hours a week. She'd understand if they were constantly under attack, but there hadn't been an attack in the months since they landed.

Nodoka tucked him into bed much like when he was a kid. She stepped back and shed a tear from the memory. How much she wished she never missed watching Ranma grow into the man he was. Once Ranma was comfortably in bed, Nodoka kissed him on the forehead, receiving a reflexive "night, mommy" from Ranma, and left the room and building. Before leaving, she stopped at the guard and instructed him not to let Ranma leave this building for the next twelve hours. He nodded in agreement, not wanting to get on the bad side of the mother of one of the Veritech aces. Especially since said mother was the sister of a high-ranking officer on the SDF-1.

Though they both hoped there wasn't an attack during those twelve hours.

* * *

"What we are saying is we like your idea. We're going ahead with it instead of the other project."

Nabiki sat in utter surprise. She was in an office with Minmei, her manager, and the head of the production company that had the noble idea of making a movie on board a spaceship. She had told Minmei a story about Ranma. She thought Minmei might take that story to her management group. However it never occurred to Nabiki that her management group would just scrap their project for one of Ranma's many adventures during his stay at the dojo.

"I mean it's much more of the classic love story than _Little White Dragon_," the producer continued. "We have a hero with the help of his friends trying to rescue his girl. And we can have it set in recent times instead of the distance past. That alone will cut down on production cost."

Nabiki still hadn't said anything when the producer asked if she'd like to help write and direct. "I mean it is your story and all."

Things were going way too fast for Nabiki. "I-I-I don't know," was the first thing out of Nabiki's mouth. "I'm not a writer. I'm good with money, not with the pen."

"We're not asking you to write the whole thing," the producer replied. "We'll have our writer do it up. You'll just be there to make sure things are accurate."

Basically they wanted her as a consultant. Nabiki had to think about this some time. First she thought that this would be a fine way to start anew. She thought about her commitments to the Lynns as she'd agreed to help at the restaurant. If she took this job, would she have to leave the White Dragon and find a place of her own? She liked living there. It provided a boost to her ego, having so many men appreciate and comment on her body, may they be good or slightly obscene. That didn't happen once while attending Furinken.

And what about school? The next term was to start soon.

While this was going through Nabiki's head, Minmei glared at her. Though the two were a little friendlier since they first met, Nabiki still had Ranma's stories working against her. Minmei had to work to get this job offered to her, and if Nabiki didn't take it, she'd kill her.

Finally Nabiki spoke. "This is all fine and dandy, but I don't know. I just thought Minmei was just going to see if her manager might need some help when it came to Minmei's finances. And then there are my commitments. School's about to start, and there's the restaurant. And then there's…"

The producer interrupted, "No problem. I'm sure we can work around them. I mean it's not like we're asking you to do the whole thing."

If it sounded like the producer was desperate, he was. Not everybody in production group loved the idea. It was his belief the idea would get the green light if the originator of the idea on board.

Nabiki thought this over. If they were willing to work around her commitments, then she could do this. So she said, "I get credited in the movie as creator and co-writer. Plus I get a portion of the box office at, say, 5%." She knew the figure was low, but there was no telling how big this thing would be.

The producer's eyes lit up at what he had to give up. After a little thought, the producer said, "Then we have a deal."

* * *

At the same time, over at the recording studio, a producer and engineer were going over the various tapes that produced Minmei's first album. The pop idol was due to start recording her second album soon. Nevertheless fans were clamoring for something new so they had been busy remixing songs for the last month.

Then the engineer pick up something they hadn't heard the in all the months of work. "Hey, Bobby, ya got to hear this." He flipped a switch so Bobby, the producer, could hear what he was hearing through the headphones.

After listening for a while, Bobby looked at the engineer and said, "This guy sounds exactly like Paul McCartney. How come we haven't heard this, Ted?"

"Well, I don't know. Though I think we could release this as a single," replied Ted. "Of course we're going to need a band and find this guy whoever he is. Do you think it's the same guy who recorded with Minmei?"

"Couldn't be. Doesn't sound like him. Beside he left as soon as we were done, remember. But I don't we should get a band. We can just mix this acoustically. This guy's already done the necessary work. It's perfect. And as for finding the guy, why? It's more money for us if this guy stays anonymous."

That being said, they stopped working on Minmei's remix and turned their attention to mixing a Beatles' cover that Ranma, during a brief time alone, recorded.

* * *

Orbiting high above Earth, the Zentraedi fleet had been pretty docile. For two months, it unnecessarily blockaded the planet which was a long period of inactivity for a warring fleet. Because of this, there were factions that were restless.

The main faction was the Seventh Mechanized Division of the Botoru Battalion under Khyron's command. The same Khyron who was still upset over the embarrassment the Micronians gave him on the fourth planet of this god-forsaken system. It was surprising he lasted two months before taking any type of action, since he constantly disobeyed Breetai's orders and attacked without the proper authority. However one interdiction from Azonia seemed to stop him cold.

When Azonia was informed, she was upset that Khyron decided to act on his own. Either she was too slow to react or wanted to see what Khyron would do, for she allowed Khyron's flagship to make its way through the atmosphere of Micronian homeworld before getting him on the vidscreen. She immediately asked what he was doing. Khyron came back with reply of going to deal with the Micronian scum.

"You have no authority to attack the SDF-1," replied Azonia. "Lord Dolza only wants us to observe."

Azonia listened to Khyron voice his mind about how he didn't care what Dolza said. Khyron used the entry into the atmosphere to cut Azonia off. He couldn't stand listening to her. It was his belief that all Zentraedi women were beneath him. Though there was one Zentraedi female he respected, but only for her warrior's spirit.

On the bridge of the SDF-1, silent alarms flashed at Vanessa's station. Only Vanessa wasn't there as she and Lisa went out to lunch. Her replacement notified Captain Gloval of the contact that radar picked up entering Earth's atmosphere. Her voice was full of fright as she called Gloval to her station.

Gloval sighed as he went over to the station. Quiet time was over. Then again he knew it couldn't last forever. "What are its coordinates?" he asked.

At that same time, the UEDC's Pacific Missile Base, located on Yonaguni, picked up the alien ship on radar. Immediately a score of missiles were launched, not to attack but as a means to draw the aliens to the SDF-1 and leave the rest of Earth alone.

When Gloval was given word of this, he cursed under his breath. To him, the government was being completely foolish in thinking a simple missile barrage would take out a Zentraedi ship. If only he was privy to the knowledge that the missiles were fired solely to antagonize the Zentraedi into attacking the SDF-1.

He instantly put the ship on full alert. Since Lisa wasn't around, he ordered Claudia to scramble Skull, Blue, Ghost, and Wolf Squadrons and have Vermilion placed on ready alert in case things got out of hand. Then he bellowed for someone to get Lisa on the bridge at once.

* * *

The guns on the ship took care of the missile barrage easily. Khyron had to laugh at the thought of the Micronians thinking that something that small would do anything to him.

"Should we send out a counterattack?" asked Grel.

"What for?" replied Khyron. "I don't care about this planet. I just want that ship."

* * *

The second the klaxon went off, everything in Macross City stopped. This was quite a surprise to Nabiki, who kept delivering orders to their respective tables. Then again, this was the first time the sirens went off since she arrived. She first thought it was a test since the sirens hadn't been sounded in two months. Then the voice came over the speakers. "Attention…Attention. We are now at red alert. I repeat, we are now at red alert. An attack is imminent. All civilians, head to your designated shelters. All pilots, report to the carriers. All other members, report to your battle stations."

When the announcement was over, the White Dragon emptied, except those that lived there. Nabiki was lost as to what she was to do. Fortunately Lena told her to follow her.

Nodoka made her way over to the White Dragon to join up with the Lynns before heading to their shelters. She had been preparing her lesson plan for Rick and Minmei when the klaxon went off. But she stopped that and started running with great speed, helping to prove that Ranma got much of his great talent from his mother (honed by his father). As she made her way, she worried about Ranma. It had only three hours since she left him. She hoped he'd be awake enough not to get himself killed.

At Ranma's barracks, the guard regretted what he was going to have to do. Lt. Saotome's mother had expressed how the lieutenant needed his rest. However with an attack imminent, he couldn't allow the lieutenant to continue sleeping, especially after the order for all pilots to report.

He knocked on the door to no immediate response. There wasn't even any sound signifying movement from within. The guard knocked again. After a few minutes of silence, he opened the door and found Ranma still sound asleep.

_This is not good_, the guard thought.

He walked over to Ranma and began lightly shaking him. The unfortunate thing for the guard was Ranma was a notorious heavy sleeper. A light shake did nothing. The guard realized this after a minute. He shook Ranma a little harder. All that did was annoy Ranma.

"Let me sleep, old man!" Ranma commented.

The guard stopped shaking, thinking Ranma was waking up. Unfortunately Ranma continued sleeping, having only shifted his position in the bed away from the contact. Now the guard was annoyed. He didn't have time for this. The RDF didn't have time for this. So the guard decided to be more aggressive. He got up on the bed, and with both hands, shook Ranma rather violently.

* * *

Blue Squadron was first to get off the deck of _Prometheus_ since they were already on duty. No sooner were they in the air that they met the first wave of fighters leaving Khyron's ship on their way to the SDF-1. Immediately soon after, death returned to the skies of Earth after over a year of peace.

Blue Squadron was quickly outnumbered, as Veritechs broke off into dogfights in which it seemed like it was one of them to four Zentraedi fighters.

But Blue Squadron wasn't out on its own for long. With efficiency ingrained through countless launches, the catapults had the other squadrons off the deck and into the fight in no time. For the moment, that seemed to stem the tide by the addition of the deadly Skull Squadron, plus the Ghost Riders and Wolf Squadron.

Their successes didn't last long. Khyron, in his Officer's Pod, and the ship's assortment of Battlepods were unleashed into the battlefield. Though it was soon found out that Battlepods were less effective in Earth's atmosphere, the firepower they brought with them was still enough to dispatch the Veritechs that got in the way of their descent to the SDF-1.

"Sir, a flight of Battlepods have broken through the lines and are making their way here," Lisa relayed information from the short range radar.

Gloval made the quick, but difficult, decision to bring Vermilion Squadron into play. There was nothing else he could. "Launch Vermilion Squadron," he ordered Lisa. "And bring the Destroids up to protect all openings."

Ranma had just gotten to the Vermilion ready room when the word to launch came down. Though adrenalin flowed through his body, he still needed the sleep that said body wanted. Unfortunately there was no way he could leave. It was his responsibility to protect his mother, Minmei, and now Nabiki. He wasn't about to pass it off to the many competent pilots of the RDF.

Once on the flight deck, Lisa appeared on the tac-net's center screen. "Vermilion Leader, take your squadron to Block 7."

"Roger," he replied.

Lisa didn't immediately leave his tac-net. He stared at her as she stared him. He waited for Lisa to say something else. Eventually she sent off the screen, but not before silently wishing Ranma good luck and safe return. She could see it in his facial expression that something wasn't quite right with him.

As of late, her subconscious mind had been battling with the conscious mind as to whom she really liked, Ranma or Kyle. So much so that it was starting to show up in her performance. It wasn't evident to everyone. Although it was up to Claudia to bring Lisa back to reality as she stared out into the battle.

Rick was amongst the first up on the flight deck. As of yet, none of the laser fire or missiles pouring from the Battlepods had struck the deck, but with the _Prometheus_ firmly floating, impacts around the carrier sent shockwaves moving the carrier. The fact that the ship swayed didn't bother him one iota. The fact that those shockwaves sent vibrations through the hull was bothersome. And the fact that the strikes were hitting so close was nerve-racking.

Just looking out, Rick could see the death in the air and the death that could claim him that day. For some unknown reason, the statement that Lynn Kyle made two months back came to mind. It was at that moment that Rick had a thought of what it would be like if they weren't fighting all the time. He had a thought of peace. That thought made him said, "Damnit, how many do we have to kill? Two hundred. Two thousand. Why do we have to continue to fight?"

He was hoping for a reply that wasn't coming. Instead he got an appearance from an irate squadron commander. "Lt. Hunter, if you don't get that Veritech of this carrier, you won't have to worry about the Zentraedi killing you."

Rick had never seen this Ranma before. Really, no one had ever seen this Ranma before. This was a Ranma whose mind was set on protecting his loved ones. But he couldn't do that if he was cued behind Rick waiting to launch.

Rick signaled to the cat crew that he was ready and was immediately off the deck. The rest of the squadron took off right after him. All but one made it into the air. They quickly formed up on Ranma and headed over to Block 7.

With the adrenalin flowing through his veins, Ranma thought he could sense anything and do anything. He felt comfortable the second lasers, depleted transuranium bullets and missiles filled his canopy. He definitely lived for the fight. He always had. Of course before getting into a fight didn't mean the end of one's life.

Not even Ranma would have noticed there was a problem in his performance. In the time since he became a combat pilot, Ranma was known as one of the most accurate, fastest reflexes, and efficient killers in the whole RDF. No one could tell he was a little off, even while on an adrenalin high.

However it soon became evident there was a problem when a Zentraedi fighter was able to get the drop on him. He had mechamorphisized back to Fighter mode after dispatching a Battlepod in Battloid mode. He zeroed in on a Zentraedi fighter when his radar alerted him that another fighter had zeroed in on him. Taking a quick look back, he caught a glimpse of the fighter that was on his tail. Immediately he pulled the stick back and went into a climb. It was a tactic he'd used often to get the Zentraedi off his tail, especially when they were too close for him to switch modes.

But it was his luck that he got the one Zentraedi pilot that could follow him in that maneuver. He was still on Ranma's tail when they cut through the cloud. Quick thinking, Ranma cut power to the engines and proceeded to slide back down. It was a maneuver he just thought up. A maneuver that no jet powered plane should try; something only possible through Robotechnology.

The fighter fired on Ranma as they went in their opposite directions, though off target. As Ranma when back through the clouds, he knew this was the perfect time to mechamorphisize. With the amount of time he had just gained, he should have been able to think the Veritech to Battloid. But no sooner had he brought the engines back online, the Zentraedi came through the clouds, cannons blazing. Ranma did an instant barrel roll. When he got moving, the Zentraedi was right back on his tail.

"Rick, where are you?" he said, getting Rick on the tac-net. "I got one on my tail and could really use some help."

Rick gave him his coordinates but told him that he could do anything as he was busy trying to shake one off his tail at the minute.

"Good," Ranma replied.

"What!" Rick sounded astonished that Ranma had just said that.

"I'm coming towards you," Ranma continued. "I scratch your back, and you scratch mine."

Rick instantly knew what Ranma was getting at. "I don't think this is a good idea," he protested.

"It'll be just like in the simulator," Ranma came back.

Rick caught sight of the familiar white/forest green trimmed Veritech of Ranma approaching him straight on. "This is not the simulator. This is real."

"Don't worry. Just tell me, up or down?"

Rick knew there was no way he could talk Ranma into some other less risky maneuver. He cursed himself for taking Ranma to see that movie. It was stupid in the movie, and it was stupid now. Nevertheless he was going to have to decide as Ranma was closing fast on him.

"Up!" he blurted out. By picking that, in a maneuver in which it looked that the two Veritech were going to collide, Ranma would do a roll and while inverted above Rick, would take out Rick's bogey and Rick his. At least that's how it was suppose to work. They've only completed the move once in the simulator, with one or the other dying the other times.

The two Zentraedi fighters seemed clueless as to what was about to happen as they continued to fire upon their respective Veritech without getting a hit. The two Veritech flew towards each other at get speed. It was like everything around didn't exist. Then within a split second, Ranma inverted himself and flew right above Rick. As they passed, they opened fire with the autocannon and took out the followers.

The maneuver worked as Ranma righted himself. However Rick was going to tell him that it wasn't the best thing to do. At that time, it would not have been heard. Having just completed that maneuver gave Ranma false reassurance that there was nothing wrong with him.

"Vermilion Squadron, proceed to Block 3." Lisa appeared briefly on the tac-net to deliver that order.

"Got that, Rick?"

"Got it. Right with you."

* * *

"Sir, Radar's reporting another formation of Zentraedi is descending," Vanessa reported.

This wasn't the news that Gloval wanted to hear. His defenses were already stretched to the limit. There was no way they could last any longer if the Zentraedi were receiving re-enforcements.

"Any indication of the type of mecha?" he asked. With that knowledge he would know what their odds were.

"Sorry, sir. They had no clue what they are."

_Oh, great! New machines._

Indeed they were new war machines. It was a flight of Quadrono Power Suits, under the lead of infamous Captain Miriya Parino. "Remember, you are just there to persuade Khyron to retreat," she listened to Azonia, who was speaking to her via a small vidscreen in her faceshield.

"Understood," Miriya replied, though in a tone of not caring. She was just grateful for the chance of putting her superior fighting skills to use.

"Also, do not engage the Micronians," Azonia added.

Miriya tuned her out. Why would she volunteer if she couldn't have some fun with the Micronians? Azonia didn't need her to retrieve Khyron. She knew there was a device on every battleship of Azonia's class that could recall any Battlepod or fighter. She acknowledged Azonia's order, however no sooner had Azonia left her faceshield that she shot down an adventurous Veritech, advancing on their formation.

"Oops!" she exclaimed as if she shot the Veritech down on accident.

* * *

Azonia didn't have a clue of what Miriya just did, as she was back in talks with Khyron.

"Khyron, you have no authority to attack this planet," she stated.

Khyron looked back at her, as if saying, "Didn't we already go through this."

"I have made a concerted effort not to touch this measly little planet," he replied.

"Still, you are violating orders," Azonia shot back.

"My orders were not to touch the planet, which I have not done. But when I do, the Micronians will rue the day they heard the name Khyron!"

"Khyron, I will hear no more of this," Azonia interjected. "You **will** stop your attack. You **will** stop and return or I **will** shoot down every one of your pods. Is that understood?"

Khyron had a feeling that Azonia was bluffing. Nevertheless he relented, as he didn't want to call her bluff, especially when he noticed that the vaunted Quadrono Squadron was now on the field of play.

When the order came, Gerao was confused and unsure he heard his commander right. This was supposed to be an all out attack to destroy the battle fortress. "E-Excuse me, mighty Khyron. Did you just order us to retreat?" He was hesitant to ask the question since he's spent much of this campaign in Khyron's doghouse.

"Yes, you heard me right, Gerao," Khyron replied begrudgingly. "That is a direct order from Commander Azonia. But don't forget to get a souvenir."

Khyron said that last part with a wink. At first Gerao didn't understand what he was getting at, but he soon caught on to Khyron's ingenious mind.

"Ah, yes! A souvenir. I wouldn't forget."

Khyron hoped Gerao was truly on the same page with him. If so, even though his unit was in retreat, he should still end up with the victory.

* * *

Ranma and what remained for his squadron were providing close support to the SDF-1. They were on the _Prometheus_ as the Destroid battalions deployed there were virtually obliterated.

The seven or eight Veritech remaining of Vermilion Squadron were putting up a valiant effort in destroying the Battlepods. Ranma noticed the numbers were starting to dwindle. He instantly recognized the signs of a retreat. It didn't help him when Miriya buzzed the carrier, causing Battloids to stumble to the deck, including Ranma.

"What the hell is that!"

Since it was the first time his squadron had seen the green vessel, no answer was provided. Ranma's eyes hadn't left Miriya's power suit as she dashed in and out of various dog fights, taking out his fellow pilots.

Sensing that there was no one out there that could stop this new menace, Ranma took it upon himself to up an end to it. Mechamorphisizing from Battloid to Fighter, he took off from _Prometheus_ in pursuit of the fast power suit. If he had been paying attention, he would have heard the order not to pursue the retreating Zentraedi units.

When Khyron told Gerao not to forget his souvenir, Gerao set things into motion. Completely forgotten during the attack, the assault ship that brought the bulk of the attack force to Earth had submerged into the Pacific. Now Gerao programmed it ram into the SDF-1.

When it reappeared on the battle fortress' radar, there was much panic on the bridge. The main gun had been inoperable ever since returning to Earth. Even if that weren't the case, they were presently using the pin point barrier. Since that was the case, there really was nothing in their arsenal to stop a Zentraedi cruiser.

Then Gloval remembered that there was one thing. It was something that had not been used since the rings of Saturn.

"Lisa, prepare the ship for the _Daedalus_ Maneuver."

Lisa looked him first clueless as to what he was talking about. It was surprising for the originator of the maneuver to forget about the maneuver. But it didn't take long for it to come back to her.

"Right, sir," Lisa responded. "Preparing for the _Daedalus_ Maneuver."

* * *

Miriya was surprised and frustrated that this Micronian was able keep pace with her. There was nothing she could do to get this bug (as she was considering the pilot) off her tail. He had proven himself quite capable of maneuvering and avoiding her attacks.

At first she decided to play with the Micronian, not respecting him. That was until she was shaken by her suit being hit by its gun pod. She was lucky that the armor on the Quadrono Power Suit was stronger than the regular old Battlepod. At that point she decided to take the Micronian serious.

On the other side, Ranma was getting frustrated that none of his attacks proved to be effective. He was out of missiles. He'd exhausted his autocannon. The only thing left were the turret lasers, and they were proving to be rather ineffective against the armor of this type of Zentraedi fighting craft.

So engrossed into their dogfight that they had completely forgot about the battle taking place around them. Or even the fact a portion of Khyron's cruiser was moving towards the battle fortress.

* * *

"Execute the _Daedalus_ Maneuver in five...four...three...two...one."

When Claudia brought the count down to zero, they expected the arm that was the _Daedalus_ to start its move back before moving forward into the nose of the cruiser. However nothing happened, and the Zentraedi craft grew closer. Claudia began to wonder if there was something with the ship because of the attack. So she turned to Lisa to see if she needed any help to correct any malfunctions.

She found Lisa spacing out. This was becoming a concern to Claudia. She had never thought Lisa would ever be in this state during an attack. Sure Lisa had been spacing out more ever since escaping from the Zentraedi. If Lisa didn't stop this, they all could end up dead.

"Lisa!" Claudia shouted to get her attention.

Lisa snapped back to reality and hurriedly threw the SDF-1 into the _Daedalus_ Maneuver. It was something that she should not have had done. Soon afterwards she started listening to the communication traffic coming from Ranma, and it didn't sound like he was doing all too well as he battled one of the unclassified Zentraedi fighters.

The_ Daedalus_ moved, and since the maneuver started late, instead of punching through the ship's bow, the carrier punched the assault craft from underneath about midship. The carrier went through level after level of a basically unmanned vessel and ended up going through the other side.

Lisa didn't know this when she opened the doors of the bow of _Daedalus _to commence the deadly part of the maneuver. Once the door opened, missiles poured forth from missile tubes and Destroids that they were able to scrounge up. Some did damage the craft but only those fired as the _Daedalus_ was retracted. Unfortunately the majority strung out into the path of a certain Quadrono Power Suit and a forest green trimmed Veritech fighter.

Ranma heard the tone signaling he was under missile lock and quickly to a look back and saw a score of missiles headed for him and his combatant. Looking further back, he spotted the delivery device, the _Daedalus_. "Lisa, what are doing? The missiles are targeting…" That's all he was able to get out the first missile struck his Veritech. Luckily he had the peace of mind to eject from the craft. However since this was his first combat ejection, things didn't go smoothly, and by the time he reached the ocean, he was unconscious. And female.

Miriya didn't come out of this unscathed either. She wasn't shot down like Ranma. Nevertheless she returned seriously damage but was not a happy camper. She couldn't believe a race such as these Micronians could have a pilot who could be her equal in the field of combat. It was there that the seed of revenge developed.

As for the maneuver, though mistimed, it succeeded in destroying the cruiser. It success came with varied reactions. Obviously Khyron was angry that he failsafe plan was unsuccessful. Azonia was happy because she would be allowed to gloat over Khyron at his failure.

Naturally crew of the SDF-1 was happy. Well not everybody. Lisa replayed the final transmission she received from Ranma.

"Good work, Lisa," Gloval said. "Now go get some sleep. It sounds like you could use some." Gloval made the comment, having noticed Claudia had to get her attention twice during the battle.

"Yes, sir," she replied. Her voice was obviously shaking, which surprised her co-worker as they watched her follow the captain off the bridge. None of them knew of the inner struggle going on within her head. A struggle she never thought she would go through as she dealt with emotions of seeing a living memory of the guy she once loved and the guy that was little by little, and still subconsciously, taking hold of her heart.

Minutes later, she sat on her bed and started crying as she wondered if Ranma was alive or not.

* * *

Rescue helicopters were deployed once things had cleared up. Following transmitter signals, they found the green die that is disbursed once a pilot has splashed into the ocean. In the middle of these die pool was the body of Lieutenant Ranma Saotome.

When it was clear that the body was not moving, the rescue diver quickly jumped into the water. She swam over to Ranma to check if Ranma was all right.

"How is he, Stewart?" the pilot radioed down.

"He's unconscious and appears to be bleeding," Stewart reported.

"Okay, we're lowering the carriage now."

From the helicopter, a metal carriage descended so Ranma could be lifted up and returned to the SDF-1 and taken to the hospital. As Stewart strapped Ranma in, she noticed something strange about the ace pilot. It appeared that Ranma Saotome had breast. That couldn't right because she knew, like every female crewmember that had seen him with his shirt off, that he was 100% male. But what was he doing with breast?

She didn't quite know how to report this. How could she explain this to her superiors? She never had the chance to make up her mind as to what to say. The carriage was lifted up as the harness to bring her descended. When the carriage reached the copter, a second crewmember also noticed that Ranma had breast. Also being female, she knew the same thing as Stewart. And like Stewart, she had no clue how to report it.

The two girls remained silent on this as they flew back to the SDF-1. And they were the only ones that ever noticed. By the time Ranma was on a gurney, she turned back into man, as if by magic, as he was wheeled into the operating room.

* * *

Author's note:

The Miriya/Ranma fight was to give Miriya a better reason to attack the SDF-1 than Khyron's challenge.


	15. Unfortunate Loss revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 15: Unfortunate Loss

* * *

"Boy, What are you doing out here?" asked Genma, as he, Soun and Kasumi stared at the eighteen year old martial artist looking like he'd just seen the devil.

"Th-That girl's processed."

"Oh, my!" Kasumi responded. It made her wonder if she wanted to go through this herself.

"Cheer up, son. I know my little girl means you no harm," replied Soun. "There were things Madoka said that put fear in me. How about you, Saotome?"

"Indeed, Tendo. Nodoka was the same way. What a mouth for someone so young," added Genma. Then he had a chuckle at a thought. He always had a chuckle from that thought.

But the boy was not amused that this man found this time to laugh. Though he didn't get the time to comment on it.

"Ah, Mr. Satori, your wife is asking for you."

Alex turned around to see the nurse's standing halfway out the door. "O-Okay," he said, and started back to the room.

"There you go, son. Go in there and show your wife some support," cheered Soun.

Just as Alex disappeared, his father and mother, Jack and Sakura Satori, came to a running stop. Jack had been in the middle of a film shoot when Sakura called. So they couldn't be there with the others.

"Did we miss it?" asked Sakura, out of breath, not being at the same fitness level as her husband.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Satori," replied Kasumi. "I think Akane just kicked Alex out, but she asked for him to return."

"That's good," spoke Jack. "But is everything okay? It is a bit early."

All they got were blank stares. When they did get a response, it wasn't from those they were looking.

"The doctor said they were both fine minutes after we got here," said a female voice from behind.

The elder Satoris turned around and saw Ukyo, Yuka, and Sayuri holding refreshments from the hospital cafeteria. They realized that it was Ukyo that spoke.

On the other side of the door, Akane was in stirrups while her OYB/GN was urging her to push. As it was, Akane wasn't supposed to be in this position for another two weeks.

"Come on, Akane, just push for me," her doctor said.

"I can't," Akane cried.

Alex looked at his wife. She looked so vulnerable. It was something he never thought he'd see from his wife. It was a complete change from the verbally strong Akane of a few minutes ago. It wasn't the Akane that told him that they would never have sex again, promised a divorce as soon as the baby was born to go off and marry Ranma.

The Akane that was now before Alex could no longer endure the pain she was under. It was pride that told her that she could handle childbirth without drugs. "A martial artist should be able to go through childbirth without drugs," she had said as a reason to get Alex to go to Lamaze classes.

"Alex. I need Alex," cried Akane.

That was Alex's cue to get to his wife's side. "I'm right here, honey," he said, taking hold of her right hand, kneeling to the ground.

"Where did you go?" she asked, happy now that her husband was at her side.

She had completely forgotten she had kicked him out of the room. Alex knew it, so he lied. "I went to see if our parents were here."

"I don't mean to be rude," interrupted the doctor, "but I can see the top of the baby's head and Akane hasn't push in over a minute."

Alex took that as another cue. "Okay, Akane, I'm going to need you to help little Nova out. Can you push for me?" It was said in such a soothing tone, a loving tone. Not wanting to speak and somehow destroy the feeling, Akane nodded to her husband.

Five minutes later, Alex came of the room to announce the arrival of Nova Satori to her grandparents and aunt.

* * *

As Akane and Alex were introducing their bundle of joy to their parents, at that same time, in a hospital miles and miles away, someone was receiving news concerning a bundle of joy of her own.

Claudia Grant hadn't felt well for a couple of days after the last battle. She couldn't hold down any food, vomiting often, especially in the morning. At first she thought it was just the stomach flu, which would go away. When it didn't, she began to think she had been food poisoned.

That was why she presently sat in one of the side rooms in the emergency room of Macross General. She sat and waited diligently for the doctor to come back with the results of her test. She hoped it really wasn't food poisoning. She couldn't really afford to be away from her station, especially if the Zentraedi were back on the attack.

After a half hour of waiting, a female doctor, different from the one that saw her originally, walked through the door. She had a smile on her face that gave Claudia a little comfort, even though it could be a feint. When she said to Claudia she had good news, Claudia let out a sigh of relief.

"First of all, it has nothing to do with food poisoning or stomach flu," the doctor explained. "You are not ill whatsoever."

Naïvely, Claudia asked, "If I'm not sick, then what's the problem." At that moment, she couldn't think of anything that would cause her vomit on a daily basis.

"There's no problem at all. You're just having a baby," the doctor announced.

Initially Claudia didn't quite get what the doctor told her. "Sure, having a baby wouldn't be a problem. I mean that's something…"

That's when it clicked in her heard what the doctor actually said. She quite simply couldn't believe what she heard. Startled she asked how'd it happened. She and Roy hadn't had sex in close to a month, and they usually used a condom. Granted they'd been on the need for sex everyday for first month after they returned to Earth.

While all this was going through Claudia's head, the doctor was busy explaining "the birds and the bees." It was a standard joke she'd always told when asked, _"How'd it happen?"_

Of course it was completely lost on Claudia. Her thoughts were on how she could do it? How was she going to raise a child in this environment? And how was she going to tell Roy? How would he react?

In another part of the hospital, Ranma sat up in the bed. He had been in a coma for fourteen days, having suffered a concussion caused by a head injury given to him from ejecting from his Veritech. Because of this his head was bandaged. The fact that he was in a coma for fourteen days was perplexing. Before coming to Macross, he would have healed from an injury like this in a day or two. He added that to the numerous things that he couldn't explain since coming to Macross, like the fact he seldom changed sex when splashed with water.

He wasn't alone in his room. In a chair next to the bed slept his mother. Nodoka told him that she remained by his side since they moved him into his present room from intensive care five days ago. Of course she told him that after admonishing him for almost getting killed, as he promised her he wouldn't.

The other person in there was the female nurse doing a check up on him. He really wished she wasn't there. It reminded him of the fact he was currently in the hospital because he was shot down. Shot down because he was more focused on the one craft than to his environment. He was more focused because he couldn't let his mind wander because his was so tired.

Yes, he admitted to himself that he hadn't been getting enough sleep to be effective in combat. Take that back, his mother drove it into his head, after he woke up, that he hadn't been getting enough. After mulling that over, he had to admit that unwillingness to sleep was because he was still heartbroken over Akane's marriage.

_Why did she have to get marry? Why couldn't she wait? What was so special about that guy?_ These were all questions that Ranma had been asking himself as of late, for which he had no answers. There was somebody aboard that might have those answers, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Nabiki, especially since he pushed her off on Minmei.

Ranma was grateful when the nurse was finished. "So how soon 'til I'm out of here?" he asked.

She laughed at the comment. "You pilots are all the same. Eager to get themselves back into action."

Ranma gave her a stern glance. He told himself that he wasn't eager. He just wanted out of the hospital.

"You, lieutenant, won't be out for some time," the nurse continued. "Ya got a nasty little bump from ejecting. So you're going to be our guest for quite awhile. Well, at least until the doctors finish their tests.

The last part was meant as a joke, but Ranma couldn't see it that way. There was no telling if the doctors had found out about his curse. That would certainly be a cause to run more tests on him, especially as they had the opportunity beforehand, since he'd been out for fourteen days.

"W-What type of test?"

"Oh, the doctors want to know if it's true that pilots' heads are made of granite."

It took Ranma a while before he realized she just made a joke. He mockingly laughed and told her she should become a stand-up comedian.

The nurse laughed at that as she left the room. With her gone, Ranma laid in the bed and listened to his mother sleep. She wasn't snoring, per se, but the sound of her breathing was somewhat soothing. It was almost enough to put him asleep.

Unfortunately sleep was something he wasn't about to get as his door opened. Ranma turned his head to the sound and set his mind for another examination. He was growing tired of all of medical personnel that wanted to look at him.

Instead of a doctor or nurse, he was presented with the sight of Lisa Hayes. It wasn't the usual Lisa Hayes that stood just inside his door, holding a bouquet of flowers. She stood there with a gloomy look on her face, as if she did something that she was so ashamed of.

"Yo, what's up, Lisa?" he asked.

"Hello, Ranma," Lisa replied.

"Say, what's with the long face? Did somebody die?"

Lisa looked at him with much pain in her face. She couldn't stop thinking that he almost died because of her carelessness. To avoid looking at him and thinking about what could have happened, she went over to the sink and filled one of the tall glasses with water.

"N-No," she said while doing this. She continued as she placed the flowers next to his bed. "I just came to apolo- I mean to say I'm sorry."

Ranma was surprised to hear a girl say she was sorry to him. It struck a chord when she placed the bouquet next to his bed. The fact that they were for him was strange. No girl had ever given him flowers, and this was a guy who had two fiancées, a girl who thought of herself as his wife, and a girl that was absolutely obsessed with him.

"S-Sorry? About what?" he asked after moment of silence.

By that time, Nodoka woke up. So not to startle her son and the lovely lady that was kind enough to visit (she remembered Lisa from Ranma's birthday party), she played like she was still asleep.

"Oh, I'm sure you know why," Lisa stated calmly. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in here."

"Awe, is that what's buggin' ya?" Ranma asked, not knowing it caused Nodoka to grimace because of her son's speech. "It's all my fault that I got caught in the missile barrage. If I had been payin' attention, none of 'em would've caught me."

The statement alone caused Lisa to smile, just a little. Though she still placed the blame on herself, hearing Ranma try to put that blame on him was uplifting. "Thanks for the generosity," she responded.

It was spoken in the same tone she'd been using. That caused Ranma to once again ask if she was okay. This was not the Lisa that was hell-bent on beating the crap out of him just last year.

"Yes. Yes, lieutenant, I'm just fine," Lisa replied.

The fact that Lisa referred to him by rank meant to Ranma that he best not continue along this line.

"Anyway, I've said what I said. I have to get back to my duties."

With that Lisa left the room, leaving Ranma confused at what just happened. As Lisa walked out and away, she walked past Nabiki, who had been just outside the door when Lisa confessed that it was her fault Ranma was in the hospital. As Lisa walked by her, Nabiki gave her a very spiteful look the sent a chill down Lisa's spine.

Once Lisa was away, Nabiki decided to step into the room, to which she saw mother and son conversing. This was the first time that she'd been able to see him. It wasn't because of the fact she spent part of her time on the set, part at the restaurant, and part at school. No, it was because it was only today that Lena told her that Ranma had been injured in combat. That was because Nodoka didn't want unnecessary people in the room before he woke.

When Nabiki walked into the room, she didn't immediately recognize Nodoka. What she saw was a red haired woman about twenty-nine/thirty, very beautiful in fact. Then Nabiki realized that the woman looked like a slightly older version of Ranma's female half. Her chest didn't seem as big as Ranma's female half, but this woman was also taller than Ranma's female half, which could make a difference. Adding things up, she realized this was Auntie Saotome. It was kind of strange to see her wearing something other than a kimono.

"So that's how you knew," she said, letting them know there was someone else in the room.

"Huh?" Ranma questioned as he turned to the door, spotting Nabiki.

"Nabiki, how have you been?" asked Nodoka. "Ranma told me you had came back with him. Though I don't know why he never brought you up to the penthouse." She gave Ranma a stern look while saying that last part, causing Ranma to wince.

"I'm doing fine. I'm meeting new people, and I starting anew," Nabiki replied, "without people having any prejudices towards me."

"That's good. And to answer your question, yes, that's how I knew."

Ranma looked at his mother, confused as to what she was talking about.

"Obviously, Ranma still hasn't figured it out," Nabiki said, in response to Ranma reaction. Though she was surprised that Nodoka picked up what she was talking about. Obviously Nodoka was smarter than Nabiki thought, with the whole seppuku pact and all.

"Yes, obviously my son isn't as smart as I thought he was," Nodoka stated.

"HEY!" Ranma exclaimed, not liking the situation. But all his exclamation did was caused the two women to laugh.

After a while Nodoka let him in on the fact Nabiki figured out how she knew Ranko was Ranma. It had been a question that plagued Ranma initially, but he soon stopped thinking about it the more time he spent with his mother. He never realized was now much he looked like his mother whenever he was in his "curse" form until that moment. "So it was because my female body resembles you."

"Resembles. I would say it's like looking at myself at fifteen, like I had a long, lost identical twin sister stuck at the age of fifteen."

"So you were that big at fifteen?" asked Nabiki.

"I was that big at fourteen," answered Nodoka. "I developed early, but I didn't reach the height to support my size until before I was pregnant with Ranma. Though I think now they were the asset that attracted Genma to me."

Nabiki's visit turned into getting to know the woman that was Ranma's mother. She was very intrigued to find out the mistruths given to the Tendo family by Genma Saotome, but perplexed at hearing that Nodoka was a genius, child prodigy. She wonder if it was hereditary, and if so, would any offspring between her and Ranma be a genius or lazy slacker like Genma.

* * *

Lisa walked onto the bridge about a half hour after seeing Ranma. Much of that time was spent collecting herself, having realized her emotions were starting to affect her job perform. Her mistake during the last attack had been an eye-opener.

Of course, this didn't prevent her from walking in with a sadden expression on her face. Fortunately she was lucky that the only person on the bridge at the time was Claudia, whose expression was opposite of Lisa. Finding out that she was about to become a mother would do that to a woman.

However that smile soon disappeared when she saw Lisa with her head down as she stepped to her station. She knew Lisa went to visit Ranma. She also knew how Ranma being shot down by the missile barrage from the _Daedalus_ Maneuver had affected Lisa emotional.

"How's Lieutenant Saotome?" It was a simple question since Nodoka had forbidden any visitors while he was in his coma.

Lisa's reaction wasn't what Claudia expected. Claudia wondered if Lisa had the chance to say what she wanted to say. But in case she did, Claudia said, "Come on, girl. It can't be all that bad."

"You're wrong," Lisa expressed.

Claudia took a look at Lisa and was surprised that she hadn't seen it earlier. Folding her arms across her bosom, she said, "Awe, it looks like Cupid's arrow struck home."

Lisa was taken aback by this comment. "W-What are you talking?"

"Oh, come on. It's obvious that you're in love. Don't forget, I've been at that stage you're at before. This is almost exactly how Roy and I started."

"B-But you and Commander Fokker love each other."

"Yeah, now. But believe you me, it wasn't always the case."

"I don't know. As if Ranma cares. Besides have you seen that girl he brought back from Japan? She's gorgeous."

This didn't sound like the Lisa Claudia knew. It was like Lisa had taken a defeatist attitude when it came to her heart. It looked like she was going to have to give one of her patented pep talks.

"But you don't know what their relationship is. She could be a good friend he's helping out. From what I gotten from his mother, he's very loyal to his friends."

"See, that's just it. I don't know anything about him."

Claudia told her that if she truly loved him, she should get to know Ranma Saotome. That was about as far as she got with the pep talk. The sound of the hatch to the bridge opening ended all talks.

Captain Gloval stepped through the hatch and could tell that he interrupt something between his two senior bridge officers. Claudia was quick to point out that it was nothing, just some simple procedures.

Not wanting to press the matter, Gloval told the two women to carry on and went to his chair.

* * *

Ranma sat in his room listening to his and Minmei duet on the radio. He was all alone for the first time since coming out of his coma. Nodoka had left with Nabiki for lunch about five minute ago. He was bored out of his mind. He didn't like being cooped up in this room. He didn't like being cooped up in his hospital. He was so bored that he wished his mother could have at least brought his books with her so he could work on homework.

As it was, Ranma had nothing to do but listen to the radio. And the radio was dominated by tunes from Minmei's first album. Thinking about, he wondered when she was going to stop by here. He almost expected her to be there when he woke up yesterday. If not then, when he woke up this morning.

_What type of a sister doesn't visit their brother in the hospital!_ he thought.

The door opened just then, and Ranma thought it to be ironic if it was Minmei after just thinking about her. But that was all for not, cause in walked Rick, Max, Ben, and finally Roy.

"See what did I tell ya; he'd be in here lying on his ass," Roy said right off.

"And hello to you, too, Uncle Roy," Ranma said in a tone that hinted anger at his greetings. At least that's what Roy thought as he backed away, feinting fright.

"How's it been, sir," greeted Max.

"Things are just fine, guys," replied Ranma. "Bored out of my mind."

Roy then whipped out a guitar that he had stowed just outside the door. Tossing it to Ranma, he suggested that Ranma wouldn't mind having it.

Catching it like it was nothing, Ranma was surprised his uncle gave him a guitar. That was until Roy remarked he had just gone out and purchased one since Ranma liked playing his almost every time he stopped by Roy's room.

"Well, besides being bored, how's hospital life been treating?" Rick asked.

"Every couple of hours a nurse comes and takes my pulse and things."

"Any cute ones?" Ben interjected.

"I don't know, Ben. It's not like I'm here to check them out," was Ranma's quick response to that. "Besides, mom's been keepin' me company."

"Did she bring these flowers for you?" asked Max.

"Naw. Commander Hayes brought those by over an hour ago," Ranma said absentmindedly while picking the chords.

"Oh!" they said and several eyebrows rose at that. There had to be something more behind it than Ranma let on.

"She and Nabiki have been the only ones to visit so far."

At that time, Minmei's hit song, _My Boyfriend's a Pilot_, came on the radio. Ben was almost ecstatic to hear it. He was Minmei's most vocal fan amongst those in the room. Ranma was quick to shut him up. It came from the part of him that did not want Minmei to associate with the pilots.

Rick asked if Minmei had stopped by, keeping along the topic of conversation. Ranma was quick to reiterate only Lisa and Nabiki visited. That seemed odd to both Rick and Roy. They both knew how much their relationship meant to the other. Though Rick was still skeptical on the type of relationship they had. They didn't act like the brother/sister that they wanted people to believe often.

"Well, maybe she's extremely busy," Roy made up an excuse. "Maybe she doesn't even know. My big sis has been at your side since she was informed. She could have forgotten to tell Minmei."

Ranma wasn't buying it. For one thing, he believed his mom wouldn't forget to tell Minmei. Secondly even if Minmei was extremely busy, she would be able to set aside some time to visit her brother. But that was Ranma thinking on terms of himself. He would be able to do.

But he, as well as the others in the room, didn't know Minmei was busy shooting a movie, which just started production. On top of that, she was in the studio recording. Above all this, there were all the public appearances she had to make.

Seeing that his nephew didn't believe his excuses, Roy decided that now would be the best time to leave.

"Well, let's go, fellas. We don't want to keep my nephew in a foul mood."

Rick agreed with Roy that they should be heading off. With Rick in agreement, Max soon went along, and with Max came Ben, though Ben left in great protest. Minmei was still on the radio, and it was his favorite song.

"Wha?" Ranma was confused by what was happening. "You guys don't have to go." Ranma was grateful to have some company. He didn't want them to leave.

"Yeah, I would like to stay, but the three of us have things to do," Rick lied while motioning to Max and Ben, who was being shoved out of the room.

"See ya, Lieutenant," Max said before leaving. Ben dittoed his remarks.

"Oh, one more thing before I forget," Roy said while standing at the door. Then out of nowhere, he pulled out a black book and a mp3 player and tossed them to Ranma. He meant to hand it to him with the guitar.

"What's this?" Ranma asked while scrolling through the menus.

"Well, I figured you might want to listen to some other music, besides that on the radio. Part of it is from my collection. Granted, I haven't gotten anything past 2002."

"No Beatles," Ranma responded while scrolling through the artists.

"Believe or not, Ranma, there is music out there besides The Beatles."

"Well, yeah, there's Wings and their solo careers."

Roy wanted to leave, but it seemed he needed to educate Ranma on music passed The Beatles. Though it was really unnecessary since Ranma was somewhat knowledgeable on the music industry. It was just he'd never heard of some of the artists, like SPEED and Harry Connick, Jr.

* * *

Rick and the others stood down the hall, waiting for Roy to come out. It would be simple for one of them to go back in and pull Roy out, but they figured the two were having some type of family moment.

After awhile, Roy did leave the room and headed in their direction.

"What was that all about?" Rick asked. "I thought we were there to cheer him up. Why leave so suddenly?"

"Well, Rick, if you didn't realize it, Ranma's is a grumpy mood. It probably has to do with being laid up in the hospital."

"Ah, Earth to Roy, that's why the four of us came," Rick stated.

"That maybe so, but there is one person who might be able to pull him out of his grumpiness."

Like idiots, the three teammates waited for Roy to give the answer. It wasn't like they didn't know the answer. When Ben asked, "Who?" Roy wanted to bang his head on the wall.

"Minmei!"

"That's right!" Rick exclaimed.

"All you need to do is talk to her, Rick," Roy said.

"Ah, that might be difficult, Roy. We haven't exactly been on speaking terms since her cousin arrived."

"Or since you've been boning Kim Young!" Ben interjected.

Rick looked at him in annoyance and continued, "And even if we were, I have no clue where she is."

That seemed hard for Roy to believe. It wasn't like you could just lose people on this ship these days. Macross City had grown so big that if space wasn't set designated as a RDF restricted area, it was partitioned off for the city.

It wasn't his job to keep track of the girl. Though it looked like he would have to find her. There were two people on this ship that should know where she was: his big sister and his girlfriend. The first person he could ask would be Claudia because he had a lunch date with her in a half hour.

At the entrance to the hospital, they went their separate ways. Rick headed back to the base to change. He was going out with Kim and her friends later on. Ben and Max headed towards the _Prometheus_. Roy made his way towards the café where he and Claudia would meet for lunch.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Claudia sat in a booth at the couple's favorite café. She was there early as she was too excited to pass the good news on to Roy. She hadn't thought of how Roy would take the news. But she hope the news of him becoming a father would finally have him decide to make her Mrs. Roy Fokker or Hasegawa, whichever last name he would have her to take.

Though she was there early, she didn't have to wait long. In an attempt to cheer his nephew, Roy walked into the café early himself. He came to the decision that he was going to have to break their lunch date. It was for a good reason, family.

He was surprised to find that Claudia was already there. He walked over to her table. "You're here early," he joked.

"You're one to talk," Claudia bantered back.

Roy laughed at the comment as he took a seat. Then he went on to speak. "Claudia, I'm sorry, but I need to break our lunch date. But I need a favor."

Claudia faked being appalled at their date being broken. However she realized she could use this to her favor. She could tell him in a place where Roy couldn't make a scene.

"Okay, but it's dinner. My places. Tonight."

Roy liked the thought of that. He loved Claudia's cooking. And it always led into something else afterwards.

Agreeing, he asked her if she might know where Lynn Minmei was at on the ship at this time. Knowing how Claudia was in tune with the happenings of the SDF-1, he was grateful when she said she knew where Minmei would be. What shocked him was hearing that she was filming a movie. He would have never imagined they would have been able to do something like that, especially when he was one of the first people to ever board this ship those eleven years ago.

With the information in hand, he left the café, leaving Claudia to finish her water.

* * *

"Though I've seen it fifty times, it's better on the big screen."

"Yeah, just as long you don't try to implement what done on screen."

Sammie, Vanessa, and Kim gave Rick a perplexing look, not understanding where he was going with the comment.

What had been Rick spending lunch with Kim and her friends, turned into the four going to the movies. This month they were showing great animated movies from Japan. Today was a Mamoru Oshii marathon, and they were just coming from watching _Ghost in the Shell_ (upon Vanessa's request).

After a moment Rick explained what he meant. "You know when they showed _The Last Starfighter_?" The girls nodded. The theatre showed it about eight months ago during a time when they were showing sci-fi movies of the Eighties. "Well Ranma decided that he could do the Death Blossom in a Veritech. Somehow he was able to do it. Do ask me how? He just did it."

"How is Lieutenant Saotome?" asked Sammie.

"Okay, though kinda grumpy."

"Oh?"

They continued walking down the street in silence for a few second. Kim asked if they wanted to do something else. Though it was Rick's idea to invite Kim's friends, Kim wanted to present them in a good light.

"How about we go back to the room and share Rick between the three of us," Vanessa said in a jokingly tone. Unfortunately Rick didn't get the joke. Thus he stumbled at the thought of a four-way orgy. The three friends laughed.

Right about then, in the distance, the three Zentraedi spies came running around the corner to a stop. From there, they peered around the corner as if they were seeing if they were being followed.

"Say, what do you think this is about?" asked Vanessa.

Vanessa's question was soon answered when they turned around with Rico holding a Minmei doll in his hands. The look on all their faces showed that they had garnered a prized possession. However Rico's face soon turned to fright when he spotted Rick and the girls heading in trio direction.

"Um, hello," Rico said with a nervous grin. That got the attention of Konda and Bron, whose expression soon matched Rico.

"This is not what it looks like," said Bron. It was a phrase that the three had heard many times while observing the Micronians.

"So that's not a doll in your hands?" asked Sammie while pointing in its direction.

The three Zentraedi spies stumbled for words. They tried to think of an excuse that would get them out of this situation. Konda came up with they won it as prize. Bron was quick to back him up, saying that they were taking it to where they stayed, but they didn't want to be late to work.

Curious, Vanessa asked where'd they work. Not knowing where he was, Rico pointed to the building across the street from the group. Fortunate for the Zentraedi, it was a business establishment.

"Oh, you guys work at the club!" Sammie responded, quite enthusiastically. The Bamboo Barn was the hottest dance/night club for those in their age group. The chances that they would meet employees from were awesome, especially since it was the hard club to enter.

Rico looked at his fellow spies. They all had the look as if saying, _"What is a Bamboo Barn?"_

"How about we have these three get us in and have some fun?" Sammie suggested.

Vanessa quickly agreed that it was a great idea. Rick concurred, and with three of the four in agreement, Sammie made her way towards the club, grabbing Rico by the arm along the way. With Rico taken by Sammie, that left the other two to Vanessa. It really wasn't something that Vanessa had to think hard about. She liked the idea of having two guys to herself. She had the grin that showed it to Kim and Rick, as well as the Konda and Bron, whose first thoughts were to ask what had they just gotten themselves into.

"I think your friend is actually happy to have to those two to herself," Rick stated.

"And she's the quiet one of our gang. I guess it's true what they say, 'It's always the quiet ones,'" commented Kim, as she hooked herself to Rick's arm and proceeded to the Bamboo Barn.

* * *

Roy had made his way to the side of the SDF-1 that looked like hadn't been touched by the RDF or Macross City until now. Now it was a movie set. Well it was many different movie sets, some complete, some not. At the moment, there was more action going around what appeared to be a Japanese house and dojo surrounded by a wall. It brought up memories of the country he hadn't seen since Ranma was four. Those thoughts made him realize how he wanted to return to the country of his birth once this was over with Claudia at his side and start a family.

Now was not the time to think of such things. He was there to see Minmei and ask if she could make time to visit Ranma. It didn't take long for Roy to find the girl that his nephew called his sister.

Roy spotted Minmei, wearing a yellow jumper with a blue blouse and short hair. Obviously she was in costume, but Roy wasn't sure if she cut her hair for the role or if it was a wig.

Minmei spotted Roy at the same time. He stuck out like a sore thumb in his uniform on this movie set. Minmei was hesitant to go over to him because the last time he came to her alone, he told her that Ranma was missing.

"Hi, Commander Fokker," she greeted as she walked up to Roy.

"Hello, there, Miss Minmei. My, you look beautiful in costume." Roy unnecessarily laid the charm on her. Minmei just ate it up as her cheeks redden from the flattery, even though she knew he was Ranma's uncle.

"Did you come to see me act?" Minmei asked. "Where's Ranma and Rick? Did they come, too?"

Roy told her that Rick was busy doing other things. Then he explained that Ranma was in the hospital. Her gasp somehow let him know of Minmei's lack of knowledge of this situation. He could easily blame it on the work schedule. However she lived with his big sister, so surely Nodoka would have told Minmei one of these nights.

Minmei was quick to ask if Ranma was okay. When Roy said he was all right, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"But though he hasn't said so, he really wishes to see you," Roy added. "In fact, he's quite upset that you haven't been there, yet."

Hearing that, Minmei wanted to leave the set and go see her friend. Unfortunately she was stopped by Kyle, who told her that she was needed back on the set. Roy was sure he had to be in the movie, too, though his wardrobe was something reminiscent of his nephew's wardrobe.

* * *

"H-h-h-h-ha! Do you actually think that I'm going to involve myself with your petty revenge?" the green haired Miriya laughed at Khyron's projection into the Quadrono ready room.

Khyron glared at her. He didn't like being constantly drawn back from achieving his ultimate victory over the Micronians at the last second. Even more so, he didn't like being laughed at. But he had ammunition.

"I'm only asking you because I know we are kindred spirits," he stated. "And I also know that you've been bested by that blasted green striped fighter."

It was Miriya's turn to glare. She was still seething from that. However in her mind, she wasn't bested. She returned to her ship with her power suit intact. Sure there were the telltale marks of battle damage, but at least she brought it back. She couldn't say the same for that Micronian since his ship was caught in the missile barrage from his own person. She would have been satisfied except for the fact she saw her opponent escape before his craft was destroyed. Unlike Khyron, she didn't feel the immediate need to go out and vanquish him.

Nonetheless she responded. "How do you know about this?" she barked.

"Don't think that I can't get my hands on any battle record," he remarked. "Besides, that devil has taken many of our brethren. He was even able to shoot up my pod."

"That just means you're not as good as you think are," Miriya responded to the set up.

"The same to you," Khyron retorted. "You came back much in the same condition as me. Yet he still lives. He's on that cursed ship laughing with the ease at how he toyed with the Great Miriya Parino of the Quadrono Battalion."

Miriya knew what Khyron was trying to do, since Miriya's pride was well known and her need to be the greatest on the battlefield often had her set out on her own personal crusade. Oftentimes did in much of the same manner as the "Backstabber." Though Miriya knew what he was doing, she fell for it.

"All right. I will go out and defeat this devil," she proclaimed. "I will go out and do what even you cannot and prove there is no one better than me."

She ended her conversation and began preparations for seeking out and destroying this Micronian devil. On the other end of the transmission, Khyron smiled at how easy it was to manipulate that woman, thus proving that all of them were beneath him. He also smiled because a thorn in his side would soon be pulled.

* * *

Minmei made her way to the hospital the second the director gave them a break. She couldn't believe that she was the last know about Ranma. Nabiki had been on the set to shoot a scene a little while later. Minmei asked her if she knew about it. Nabiki told her that she found out just the other day from Aunt Lena, who had been told by Rick. Nabiki had assumed her surrogate mother had told her.

She made her way to Ranma's room and knocked on the door. She didn't want to intrude if he was sleep. When she didn't get a response, she thought Ranma was doing exactly that. She knocked a second time before she recognized the sound of someone singing from inside. Realizing the voice, Minmei opened the door to see Ranma, nose in a textbook, listening to a mp3 player. She didn't recognize the song he was singing or the book he was reading. Minmei walked into the room without gaining Ranma's attention. It was obvious Ranma was too busy with school work to notice that she was there. She didn't care. Time away from the set would be relaxing, since she felt like she was being worked like a proverbial dog.

After awhile she grew tired of being ignored. So she went and pulled the headphones off.

"Huh!" was Ranma's immediate response. He looked up and saw a girl with short hair, wearing a blue blouse and yellow jumper underneath a red coat. Then he realized that Minmei was in the room. "Minmei, is that you? Whacha doin' here?"

"Ah, Commander Fokker said that you were in the hospital. I got over here as soon as I could to see if you were okay," Minmei explained.

Ranma was thankful to his uncle, but he had to wonder why it was him that informed Minmei and not his mother. Granted he didn't realize that it was his actions that prompted Roy to see Minmei.

The two started talking. Ranma hypothesized how it was he ended up in the hospital, to which Minmei scolded him for not getting enough sleep. Ranma winced at hearing his "little sister" speak down on him in such a grown up manner, much in the same way as when Nodoka scolded him when he woke up.

Minmei told him that she was shooting a movie. It explained why she had short hair. Ranma was fascinated that they were shooting a film onboard the SDF-1. Minmei went on to tell him everything she'd been up to since the last time she'd seen. Hearing about it made Ranma wonder where she got all the energy for the recording, the acting classes, the voice classes, and even classes with his mother.

"Say, what's that you're doing?" Minmei asked, pointing to notebook and textbook.

"Differential equations," Ranma replied. Recognizing the confused expression on Minmei's face, Ranma explained that it was another calculus course.

"Um, do they teach that a Macross High?"

"I don't think so," said Ranma. "Something tells me I've been workin' at a college level for some time now."

"College level! Boy, my big brother is really smart," Minmei said in mock appreciation. "I'm still having problems with algebra."

"Well, that's because you've got other things," Ranma replied.

A period of silence followed, during which, Minmei took a seat at the end of Ranma's bed. There was something Minmei had wanted to ask Ranma, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what it was. Sitting on a bed was a comfortable feeling to Minmei. So comfortable that the sleep that she hadn't been getting, caught up with her.

Letting out a big yawn, she asked Ranma if it was all right if she took a nap. Now understanding the importance of sleep, he would allow her to do just that. Besides after hearing everything Minmei'd been doing, she needed it. Too bad he never got to tell that as Minmei already laid on the bed and fell asleep. Ranma took the top half of his covers and laid it on top of her. Then he took one of his pillows and gently placed it under her head, so she wouldn't rest on her arm. That done, he said, "Sleep well, little sister."

That said, he returned to his math work.

* * *

When fun time was over, Vanessa, Sammie, and Kim returned to the bridge. Still being full of energy, they came in rather boisterous. They quickly toned it down the second they stepped on the bridge. That did not mean they didn't receive looks from both Lisa and Captain Gloval, since they heard them from down the corridor.

No sooner had Vanessa sat down at her station, the radar became active. A small Zentraedi craft was descending into the atmosphere. Hearing this, Gloval put the ship on alert. He hoped it was not a big attack like last week. Currently the SDF-1 didn't have the pilots to repel an attack of that size. Fortunately the ship released a small flight of Zentraedi battle crafts.

Gloval ordered Lisa, "Scramble Vermilion Squadron, and have Commander Fokker join them."

* * *

"Remember, you are not to attack the ship. We are here to find one Micronian. Once he has made himself known, you will all leave him to me," Miriya passed along her statement to her unit. The members of this Quadrono unit were used to hearing this.

This was as unofficial as Khyron leading an attack on the SDF-1. Azonia had about as much advance warning as Khyron's last attack. She simply looked the other way. Some would say that this was a double standard, and perhaps there was, but Azonia let Miriya operate however she felt.

* * *

On the deck of the _Prometheus_, Roy had Skull One all prepared lead the troops into another fight.

"Okay, what am I looking at?" Roy said over the tac-net.

Lisa appeared and replied, "There's about fifteen of their new fighters approaching the SDF-1."

_Fifteen. They've launched Vermilion. Do they truly need me and Kramer?_ thought Roy.

Then he said, "Okay, then. Skull One ready for launch."

"Good hunting, Cmdr. Fokker," said Lisa.

"Awe, this is just an appetizer to the hunting I'm going to be doing this evening."

With that, his Veritech was launched off the desk. Up on the bridge, Lisa was complete confused by what he said. However one look at an embarrassed Claudia told her all she needed to know.

Up in the sky, Roy made contact with Vermilion Squadron. "Pleasant afternoon, isn't it boys," he said over the tac-nets of Rick, Max, and Ben.

"What do they have you up here for?" asked Rick slightly offended.

"Apparently they needed someone to babysit you while its commander is laid up in the hospital."

Ben and Max got the obvious joke. Rick, the other hand, was slightly behind, but one had to look at his situation. He was recovering from his midday clubbing.

"But enough of that," he concluded.

The Zentraedi were moving fast onto their defensive position. After some last words, the Veritech defenders engaged the "new" Zentraedi battle units. What surprised them was though their opponents were maneuverable, they didn't prove to be as agile as first observed by Roy and several others in the battle that resulted in the recovery of Ranma and his group.

The twenty-something Veritechs were quickly reduced down to seventeen within minutes. It wasn't like the results were to change either. The only pilots that seemed to show some success were Max, Roy, and Rick, though Rick it was mainly due to covering Ben's tail.

Miriya was observant on how the Micronians fought while she continued her constant lookout for the forest green trimmed fighter. So far he had failed to show himself. Upon closer look, she noticed a blue trimmed fighter was performing rather impressively. Thus she started paying closer attention to him because he might be the pilot she was there to challenge. For all she knew, the Micronian could be flying a different fighter. With the ease the pilot seemed to dispatch members of her squadron, she came to the eventual conclusion that this was her opponent. Decision made, Miriya sped off in his direction. While in route, she warned her unit away for the blue fighter.

Max wondered why every fighter suddenly avoided contact with him. However he didn't have to wait long to engage a target as it engaged him. The fighter came hard and fast from his left side. Firing as it came, Max switched to Battloid mode to avoid being hit. Next he performed a twisting flip as the fighter streaked underneath him.

Miriya was surprised that he was able to avoid her volley. But it wasn't totally unexpected. She turned around to find her opponent firing on her. She went into a quick ascent to avoid.

Max was amazed at the reaction time of his opponent as he watched the unit climb. Max transformed back to Fighter and followed. With radar, he could tell that the fighter had stopped as it went through the cloud. Not about to get caught flat footed, he went back to Battloid as he went through the clouds.

When the Battloid went through the other side, it came through firing the autocannon. The Quadrono unit, likewise, fired its wrist lasers. Both were able to avoid each other's fire. With this exchange of fire, they proceeded to start their own little "Dance of Death." It was a dance like no other. There were zigzags, crisscrosses, crossovers, dipsy-doos, and ducking and dodging. To the others, it appeared that they were just spiraling and cycling through the air as Miriya led Max further and further away from them, so none of Max's companions could come to his aid without her knowing it first.

For all their maneuvering, neither of them could get a clean shot. They wasted a lot of ammo, but nothing was on target. It was so reminiscent of Miriya's last fight.

* * *

Gloval sat in his chair and waited for the eventual attack on his ship. After ten minutes of listening to Vermilion Squadron, he began to wonder if the SDF-1 was the target. He wasn't the only one that wondered what was happening. After a year of constant attacks, it felt odd to those on the bridge that there was a battle raging in the skies and not a single attack had yet been directed to the SDF-1.

From looking over Vanessa's shoulder, Gloval saw that they were having mixed results with these new fighters. A few of the Zentraedi were having success, and a few of his pilots were having success, too. But something was sticking out to him. There was one Zentraedi fighter seemed to be pressing Vermilion Three.

* * *

"Could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you clearly?" asked Roy.

"The captain wants Lt. Sterling to break off his engagement," Lisa repeated herself over the tac-net. "He wants to see what that's craft's deal, since he's pressing Lt. Sterling real tough."

* * *

"What!" Max exclaimed. Max was deep in concentration over his fight, so he wasn't sure he heard Roy correctly. When Roy relayed the message again, Max couldn't believe what command wanted him to do. This was the most exhilarating combat he'd been in yet. This was almost like training with Ranma. But they wanted him to run away.

Max was a soldier, and he followed the order given to him. Switching from Battloid to Fighter, he dove down towards the ocean and proceeded to rejoin the battle with the rest of Vermilion Squadron. He was quite surprised at how far he had separated from the group.

Miriya wasn't about to let him rejoin the others. She came slashing down from behind Max, firing several shots, all of which missed Max as they splashed into the ocean. What it did, though, was caused Max hold up as the ocean geysered right in front of him. His quick reflexes had him think his Veritech into Guardian mode and come to a complete stop, where Miriya dived right on top of him.

* * *

"Kramer, behind you!" Roy exclaimed seconds before watching his wingman and good friend bite the big one.

Roy had become slightly interested in what was going on with Max that he'd allowed the Quadrono to get into that position. Unfortunately he did not grieve the loss of his friend. Instead he got his revenge and took out the Quadrono that ended Captain Kramer's life.

While he was doing this, another Quadrono hit on him from behind. Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on which side you're on) it didn't destroy Skull One. In fact, Roy didn't even realize he'd been hit. He felt the shock, but it felt similar to being hit by shockwaves from destroyed crafts in space. However, it felt like he'd been stung by bees.

* * *

Miriya was becoming even more frustrated now than when she first battled this Micronian devil. He wouldn't provide her with any openings to end his pathetic life. She felt lucky herself that he wasn't as accurate as the last time since it was clear he had more ammunition at his disposal this time.

What she needed to something that have the Micronian lower his guard. She needed something that would allow her to get a clean shot off. Glancing at the technoknight that was the SDF-1 wading in the water provided her with an idea. Of course the idea was something Khyron would have done, but at that moment she didn't care. She wanted to prove to one and all that she was the best to ever live.

Decision made, she broke away from Max and made a bee line to the SDF-1.

* * *

Ranma sat in the bed, continuing to do his school work. He'd grown tired of math, so he moved on to the next thing his mother wanted him to do, United States History from the period from 1941-1945. _Why the hell do I need to study how the United States defeated us in the Great Pacific War?_ Ranma thought.

Needless to say, he wasn't too happy about studying history. He didn't mind Japanese history. It was the other countries' histories that he disliked. He knew there was a point to him reading these history books. They were just so boring and often put him asleep. He could only hope that it would do that to him now.

Ranma glanced up from his book and saw Minmei sleeping peacefully at the end of the bed. She seemed so energetic when she came into the room. Now she was so dead to the world. He wondered if she told him all that was going in her career. The way she just fell asleep told him that there might be more going on than she let on. However it wasn't like he could talk; he had worked himself to the point that he ended up in this hospital.

He was about to put his head back into the book when the klaxon went off. "Attention. Attention. An enemy vessel has entered the SDF-1. An enemy vessel has entered the SDF-1. All citizens, head to the nearest shelter or enter the nearest building for safety."

Hearing that, Ranma jumped out of the bed to make his way to the _Prometheus_. He wanted to know how this had happened without being informed. If it wasn't for the thought of leaving Minmei there, he probably would have left, forgetting he was grounded and wouldn't been able to leave the hospital.

As he stood, he could hear the faint sounds of a jet engine. From the Doppler effect, he realized that whatever was producing the jet sound was headed towards the hospital. As it so happened, the port that Miriya used to gain entry led to a vent right above the hospital when the SDF-1 was in attack mode. As the sound grew closer and closer, Ranma wanted to see what it was that entered the ship. Was it that Officer's Pod that he'd dueled on a regular basis? He left the room and headed for a place that looked out onto the street.

No sooner had he made it to the lounge down the hall, a green powersuit descended from the sky. It hit the thrusters and sped away. Seeing the jet wash coming right at him, Ranma naturally ducked for cover. The jet wash knocked the windows out of their panes. Seconds later, Ranma stood and was full of dread hearing a second jet engine, hoping it wasn't another Zentraedi following his companion. Luckily it was a Battloid with the familiar white/blue paint scheme. Realizing Max was in pursuit, he gave a big cheer. Max might be the only other pilot with reflexes fast enough to fight one of those new fighters.

* * *

Miriya was surprised to see buildings inside the SDF-1. She did not expect to see this inside a military vessel. However she believed she could use this to her advantage. Surely her pursuer wouldn't risk firing at her in the middle of a city.

She came to a stop in the middle of one Macross City's vast streets. Max did likewise some 250 yards away. Both stared at each other in a standoffish mode reminiscent of old gunslingers of the American Old West.

"Look at him. Over there twitching in his boots," Miriya said to herself.

Unfortunately Max wasn't doing anything of the sort. In fact he was waiting for the Zentraedi to make the first move.

Believing that she had the upper hand, Miriya brought her right arm up into a firing position. Unfortunately she never got the chance to fire. Max, quick on the trigger, opened up on her. Miriya was startled by this. She never thought the Micronians would willingly destroy their own. Or maybe it was just this one. If the latter was true, then this one was truly a devil. If so, then she was going to plan out the killing of this pilot.

Now she needed to get out, as her perceived advantage was a disadvantage. No sooner had she had the thought that an exit provided itself to her. On the bridge Gloval realized that Max had gotten the Zentraedi in a precarious position. Now there were two things he could let happen. He could allow Max to destroy the Zentraedi, or he could open one of the outer hatches and allow the Zentraedi escape. Weighing the fact that killing the Zentraedi would lead to some considerable damage to Macross City, he ordered Lisa to open outer hatch right above Miriya's Quadrono unit.

Miriya looked at this as a blessing in disguise and lifted off from Macross City to head back to her cruiser, ordering a retreat.

Max was in hot pursuit but was soon called off. Though slightly upset, Max proceeded back to the _Prometheus_.

* * *

Ranma made his way back to his room after he lost sight of Max's Battloid. Just watching the Battloid made him eager to get out of the hospital. Before he made it to his room, he spotted a man going into it. It was someone that he had not expected to see visit him, Vance Hasselwood. Although there was someone in his room that Mr. Hasselwood would be interested in.

Vance had been at his wit's end. The star to the movie was missing and was really needed on the set. If it wasn't for Nabiki Tendo, he would have never thought of coming to the hospital. It was a sigh of relief when he found his starlet. His livelihood was just sleeping on the bed of whoever's room this was.

"Minmei, dearie, it's time to wake up," Vance said, while gently shaking Minmei.

Minmei was so tired that she thought it was a pesky fly bugging her and swatted at Vance's hand in such a manner.

"Come on, Minmei. If you don't come right now, you'll put us behind schedule."

"And what's so wrong about that?" asked Ranma, who stood behind Vance, in his door.

Ever so intimidated by Ranma, Vance nearly jumped out of his skin. He may have been Minmei's manager, but unlike his perception of managers in the entertainment field, he was accountable to someone not his client. What made it so nerve-racking for Vance was the knowledge of Ranma being an accomplished martial artist, meaning if he did step out of line, there was sure to be a painful beat down.

"N-Nothing, sir," Vance stammered out.

Ranma had never figured out why Vance Hasselwood was always nervous around him. He had entrusted Minmei's career in his hands. Granted that was mainly because the only true manager on the SDF-1 was the husband of Jan Morris, who Minmei beat in the Miss Macross Pageant.

"Look here. Minmei's gonna rest up. So tell the people who need her, she'll be there tomorrow. Is that all right?"

A grin on Vance's appeared as he backed away from Minmei and out the door. Though he didn't like it, he was going to take what Ranma offered him to the director, cast, and crew. They were going to have to live with it.

All the while, Minmei slept, never to know she had been needed on the set.

* * *

Later that evening, Roy was in Claudia's room, sitting on her couch. Claudia was in the kitchenette, busy preparing dinner and figuring out how to tell Roy he was going to be a father. Claudia was one of the fortunate few that had a kitchenette in their room. She hadn't used it often, but she was thankful to have it for situations like now. As she tried to figure out how to inform him of their important news, she told him about her day. How she was upset at Lisa and the captain when she found out he was leading today's attack. All the while, Roy weakly strummed his guitar he'd brought with him.

As she talked, she broached the topic of their future. "You know it frightens me every time you go off into combat. I know we're very low in quantity of pilots. I just think it might be no longer necessary for you to be out there. You should take the promotion, especially how it seems the fighting's more intense."

Claudia paused from arranging her pineapple salad to look like it came right of the pages of a magazine. She waited for Roy's response about the promotion that he kept refusing solely for the reason the duties would have effectively taken him off flight duty. It was a sore topic between the two since returning to Earth.

No response came. What she got in return was a guitar being strung that could send shivers down her spine.

"Well, I guess making me worry is just a game for you," Claudia continued. "But I have plans for the three of us after all this."

Now she waited for Roy's response to that intentional slip of the tongue. He had stopped playing. "What do you mean by the three of us?" he asked weakly.

Claudia faced Roy and said, "We're going to have a baby." Roy's reaction was one of many to expect. Roy looked at as if to ask if he heard her correctly. When she shook her head yes, he fell on his side onto the sofa and rolled onto the floor. At first she thought he fainted from shock at learning he was to become a father. With a smile on her face, she went to wake him up. That's when she noticed it might be something serious.

While she cooked and he played, Roy was slowly dying. What he thought were bee stings were actually the Quadrono lasers piercing through the Veritech's armor and into his back. Roy was lucky he didn't die in his plane right then, just minutes after another Quadrono ended the life of the long-time wingmate.

When Claudia saw three bloodstains on the back of Roy's uniform top, she let out a blood-curdling scream that could have woke up the dead. It took her awhile before it registered that he might still be saved. When she called for an ambulance, initially they couldn't make out what she was saying.

Fortunately it didn't take long for the paramedics to get to Claudia's room and to get Roy to Macross General. Unfortunately it was already too late. The doctors in the ER didn't have long to examine Roy before he left this plane of existence. He flatlined seconds after entering the ER, and after attempting to resuscitate him for about five minute, they declared him dead.

When they made the announcement to Claudia, she let out another wail that could have woke up the dead. So loud it woke up Ranma, just a few floors up, and it briefly aroused Minmei out of her sleep. Claudia draped herself over Roy's body and cried her eyes out. She cried harder than any time in her life. Harder than the time her first boyfriend dumped her in order to date the most popular girl in high school. Harder than when her next boyfriend dumped her for another guy. She cried because Roy was the first guy that ever pursued her. She cried because the life growing inside of her will never get to know its father.

* * *

"Another one. Another one." Nodoka heard as she opened the door to her son's room. She walked into the room to find her son and her surrogate daughter sitting on top of his hospital bed. In Ranma's hand was the guitar that her little brother gave him yesterday afternoon.

"Fancy seeing you here, young lady," Nodoka announced her entrance.

"Hi, mom," Minmei responded.

"Hey, mom," Ranma replied. "I'm just playing for Minmei right now. I'll get back to work soon."

Nodoka found that to be nice. She too was interested in hearing her son sing. Granted she didn't know he was both the male and female accompaniment on Minmei's album.

She joined Minmei in asking to hear him sing. Maybe if it was just Minmei, Ranma might have been able to say no. He had already song five songs that morning. With his mother there, and his ever want to make up for lost time, he proceeded to sing another.

"Okay, I'll sing to you one of my favorite songs. One...two...three.

"Try to see it my way  
Do I have to keep on talking till  
I can't go on  
While you see it your way,  
Run the risk on knowing that our love may soon be gone  
We can work it out…"

Ranma stopped playing when he realized that there was someone else in the room. Lisa Hayes stood at the door, looking as solemn as she did the day before.

"You know, if you keep showin' up lookin' like that, you'll start remindin' me of a ol' pal back in Japan," Ranma commented.

Lisa didn't pay attention to it. She was there because she had to pass along some bad news. She was chosen solely because she had an idea where Nodoka Saotome would be.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm to talk to you and your mother, Ranma."

"Oookay." Ranma didn't like the sound of that.

To Nodoka Lisa said, "I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm here with some bad news. Last night, Commander Roy Fokker was pronounced dead from injuries received from yesterday's action. He was brought into the Emergency Room around 9:00 Macross time, but by that time it was too late. He simply lost too much blood."

When Lisa said Roy was dead, she started crying. When Lisa was finished, Nodoka was in denial. "That can't be true. It must be a mistake. Roy is the best there is. There's nobody that can touch him." Nodoka repeated and repeated her last sentence as Ranma got out the bed and took his mother into his arms. She repeated and cried into her son's shoulder."

"I'm deeply sorry, Ms. Saotome. Ranma."

"Thank you, Lisa," replied Ranma, as he comforted his mother.

In the background of all, a tune was softly coming out of the little transistor radio that was in the room. It sounded just like the song Ranma was singing. In fact it was.

"…_Try to see it my way  
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong  
While you see it your way  
There's a chance that we might fall apart before too long  
We can work it out  
We can work it out"_

"_And that it is We Came Work It Out. A Beatles's cover by some unknown artist."_

* * *

Author's note:

_We Came Work It Out_ by Lennon/McCartney, owned by Michael Jackson.

If you hadn't figured out what happened to Akane, why felt heavier to Ranma, shame on you. For all those that thought there might be a possible Ranma/Miriya matchup, sorry. I already know who gets who and who lives in the end. Now it's just getting to the end with my own spin on the story.


	16. Another revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 16: Another

* * *

"Can you tell me again why we're headed there?" asked Nabiki.

She, Ranma, Nodoka, Minmei and Claudia were in a rental car, heading from the airport to Nerima, in particular the Tendo Dojo. Being that Roy was a member of the first contact team, Nodoka was allowed to take his body back to Japan, so their parents could bury another child. It was natural to allow Claudia and Ranma with her. Gloval was most accepting of this, thus Claudia and Nodoka joined the proud few who were able to leave the SDF-1 though neither wanted it to be for this reason. Nodoka had just lost her baby brother. Claudia just lost her lover, her soul mate, and father to her unborn child.

"It's only proper for you to visit your family while we're here," Ranma replied, while driving. It gave Nodoka a frightful felling, as he had just learned to drive. He continued, "Besides, I think we should pack up the rest of your things and bring them with us."

Nodoka smiled at how considerate Ranma was being to Nabiki, though she really wanted to head back to the ship. It was great to see her parents, although she didn't like the argument she had with them over the fact that she, Claudia, and Ranma had to return to the SDF-1.

There was a long period of silence that wasn't broken until Claudia asked about the family she was set to meet. Of all the people in the car, she was the only who had never been in Japan. In a way, this was a brief vacation for her, though she would have liked it to be for different reasons. At least she finally met Roy's parents. She expected the answer to come from Ranma, not Nabiki. Claudia didn't know what to make of Nabiki. She had only met the girl before boarding the plane. However it was understandable for the answer to come from her since it was her family they were visiting.

Nabiki finished telling Claudia what to expect as Ranma pulled up next to the gate of the dojo. Four females and one male stepped out of the minivan and made their way up to the door. All five had different looks on their faces. Nabiki appeared apprehensive, while Minmei was angry and Ranma appeared set for impending doom. Claudia had a look of wonderment as she took in the traditional Japanese home, so different from those in America. Nodoka did not knowing what to expect. She had a feeling that her ex was still here, and he could be so unpredictable. There was no telling what he might try since she took away his heir.

Akane opened the door to find her ex-fiancé. "R-Ranma! Is that you? What are you doing here?" Akane asked, not focusing on the other four.

"Geez, Akane! Is that how you react when friends and family come to visit?" stated Ranma.

"Sorry, sorry," she replied.

She stepped out the door to give Ranma a hug. That was when she noticed four other women with him. First was her runaway sister, Nabiki. Next was a young girl with black hair. Another was a redhead, looking very much like a twenty-something cursed Ranma. The last one was a Black woman, who Akane thought was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. She instantly thought that Ranma had gotten himself another harem and had involved her sister.

"Honey, who is it?" a male's voice came from the rear.

Akane turned away from Ranma and told her husband that it was Ranma and Nabiki, who had brought some friends with them. For awhile the guest stood outside, waiting to be invited inside until Nodoka brought it to Akane's attention. Akane immediately apologized as she let them in. Now that she was married, she was still getting use to being a hostess.

Four out of the five followed Akane back to the living room, where they saw a young man with a baby and bottle in his hands. Nabiki made her way up to her room to begin pack the rest of her belonging.

"Akane, you mustn't rush off to answer the door like that," Alex said as he handed the baby over to her.

"I know. I just wasn't thinkin'."

Alex greeted Ranma. "It's nice to see so soon."

"Ah, well, it was somewhat unplanned," Ranma replied with a slight laugh. Then he received a jab to the ribs from his mother. One look from made him realize what was going on. "Um, and this is my mother, Nodoka Hasegawa, I guess you can say my aunt, Claudia Grant, and my sister, Lynn Minmei. This is Akane's husband, Alex Satori. His father is the film star, Jack Satori."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Alex said as he shook all three of their hands.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you," replied both Nodoka and Claudia.

Minmei didn't say anything as she glared at Akane, hatefully. Nodoka shook her head. It was obvious to her what was going on. Obvious Ranma told Minmei about some of the things he had told her about Akane and her antics. It was up to her to calm down tempers. She explained to Minmei that all the hurtful things that Akane had done weren't intentional.

Alex didn't quite get what she meant until Nodoka explained, "See, from how Nabiki tells it, Akane considered herself the best martial artist in Nerima until Ranma showed up. And Ranma completely outclassed her. From what Ranma said, there were those boys that challenged her daily in fights to date her. So that meant that if Ranma wanted to, he could easily defeat her, which in turn would solidify Soun and Genma's engagement arrangement. No doubt they would have been married right now, and sixteen is too young for marriage, I should know."

Akane nodded her head, surprised that Ranma's mother was able to peg how she was at the moment she first met Ranma.

"And it didn't help that my ex-husband had engaged Ranma to so many other girls. Some of whom Akane felt were much better looking than her and could take Ranma away."

Again Akane nodded her head. _Auntie Saotome must be a genius to realize all that about me_, she thought.

"By the way, where is that lazy scum bag that I used to call my husband?"

There was some laughter between the two newlyweds. It was explained that Genma was forced to find another place to live by Alex's parents. It was further explained that Soun had to get the dojo back up and running. When asked why, they said that Alex's parents felt the two wanted to freeload off of Alex and Akane.

"Yup, that sounds like the old man alright," Ranma replied.

By this time everyone had taken seats in the new refurbished room. Now that the dojo belonged to Akane as part of her wedding gift, gone was the traditional look, and in was a modern look with a couch, a recliner, a coffee table, end tables, and entertainment system.

"So, I see Akane hasn't killed you with cooking yet," said Ranma, in an attempt to break the ice.

"Ranma!" both Nodoka and Claudia said in shock. That was just something you don't say about a man's wife. Akane, herself, was red face, though not from anger but from embarrassment.

Alex laughed because he knew what Ranma was talking about. "No, not yet," he replied. "We have someone cooking for us that is not Kasumi."

Speaking of Kasumi, Ranma wondered where she was. As if on cue, in walked Kasumi with a schoolbag in hand. Kasumi was finally allowed to attend college. Though it was in the middle of the summer break, Kasumi was doing the summer sessions since she was so far behind her peers.

"Ranma, Auntie Saotome. It's so good to see the both of you. And to see that you're alive, Auntie," she said while giving them both a hug.

Akane wondered how Kasumi was able to tell that the slightly older looking cursed Ranma was his mother.

"Say, would anyone like something to drink?" asked Alex. There were two sodas, a tea, and a cup of water for Claudia.

With Alex gone to the kitchen, Kasumi took a seat, turned to Claudia and asked, "So how along are you?"

Claudia was surprise that this young woman realized that she was pregnant.

"You mean you can tell Claudia is going to have a baby?" Ranma asked.

Kasumi nodded.

"How?" asked Minmei. Minmei wanted to know why other women could tell that someone was pregnant and she couldn't. Nodoka was the same way when they saw Claudia a couple of days ago.

Kasumi answered that there was the same type of aura surrounding Claudia like there was with Akane not too long ago.

That shocked Ranma that Akane was going to have a baby. Then he noticed the baby in her arms and realized she already had the baby. There was something about the girl you loved having sex and a baby with another man, even if the two were married that didn't register.

However that couldn't explain why Ranma suddenly fainted. The bad thing about this, he ended up on the floor in front of Alex, who was carrying a tray full of drinks. Because of his sudden stop, Alex couldn't prevent the drinks from falling off the tray and onto Ranma. Though Alex knew of and seen a transformation because of Genma, he was shocked to see a man change into a woman. The girls looked at Ranma, trying to figure out why he fainted, ignoring the fact he changed forms, except for Claudia, who gasped at what she saw before her. Where there was once a man she knew as Ranma Saotome, there was now a girl that looked very much like a younger Nodoka, from hair color to bust size. "W-W-What is going on here! W-W-What happened to Ranma!"

A collective "Oh boy!" went through the minds of the other ladies in the room. Since Akane was more use to seeing it, she explained Jusenkyo curses.

"If he's had this for three years, how come this is the first time I've heard of it?" asked Claudia. "'Cause I'm pretty sure a guy changing into a girl would have come across the mouths of those horn-toad pilots."

Right then Ranma regained consciousness and felt quite embarrassed at what she just did. Then she realized that she was a she. "Awe, man," were the first words out of her mouth.

"Nobody knows, do they, Ranma?" asked Claudia.

It took awhile for Ranma to comprehend what she was saying. As soon as she did, she answered with a guilty nod.

"And I bet this is why you're seemingly out sick a couple of days almost every other month?"

Again, a guilty nod.

"Ranma, I thought you were going to tell them," said Nodoka.

"I told Uncle Roy, and he said he would tell the docs," replied Ranma.

One look at the stern glances from Claudia, his mother and even Kasumi and Akane told Ranma that he wouldn't get away from it anymore. Thankfully he was saved from making any other comments by the arrival of Nabiki with a suitcase and a duffel bag. "Okay, I'm read-" was all she could get out before she was swamped by her big sister.

Kasumi was so happy to know she was okay. Those few hours after she read Nabiki's runaway note were some of the most worrisome moments in her life. Even more than the times Akane was accidentally kidnapped because she had faith Ranma would bring her back. Nabiki, on the other hand, ran off to catch Ranma. It was awfully kind that Ranma made Nabiki call home when they arrived in Yokohama before taking off. It was still agonizing not knowing if she would ever see her younger sister again.

"It's good that you decided to come home, little sister," Kasumi said.

"Ah, I'm not really coming home. Ranma thought it would be best to come and get the rest of my things," said Nabiki.

Kasumi was shocked to hear that but was prevented from immediately commenting when Nabiki spied Akane holding a baby. With a gasp, Nabiki went over to her little sister and said, "Is that little Nova?"

With a smile, Akane handed Nova to Nabiki. That was followed by a half hour of Nova getting to know her Auntie Nabiki. That was the most boring half hour Ranma had in quite awhile. She'd rather be laid up in the hospital again. She couldn't believe how much women fussed over a baby. Even her mother, Claudia, and Minmei got in the act.

"Say, would you like a cup of hot water?" Alex eventually asked at the end of said half hour. He was embarrassed it took that long to think about it because he was gawking at her body. Even though he was married and knew that under that female exterior it was a guy, he couldn't help to admire the fact Ranma was supermodel gorgeous.

"Sure," Ranma replied. She tried to sound like she didn't notice that Akane's husband had been staring. Living in Nerima had gotten her use to it.

The other girls noticed Alex leaving. Somehow that turned into sign to those living on the SDF-1. "I guess it's time for us to go," said Nabiki, and she handed her niece back to her mother.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Kasumi. She didn't want to her family separated again.

Nabiki explained that she really liked to stay, but she was making a new life for herself on the ship. She was free to try to be what she'd dreamed to be before their mother passing. There was also an unspoken comment about her chances with Ranma were getting better. At least it was picked up by Akane, not too clearly by Kasumi.

The SDF-1 visitors were on their feet by the time Alex returned with the hot water.

"At least stay 'til father returns home?" Kasumi pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi, but we've probably stayed too long as it is," replied Ranma while taking the cup from Alex. She upended it and returned to his natural form. Now that Ranma was male once again, he and the others were escorted to the door by Kasumi and the Satoris. Ranma was the first one out, upon which he became she again as it was now raining.

"That's strange. There was nothing in the news about rain today," Alex said.

Ranma just hung her head in frustration. Only when she was around could a sudden shower occur in Nerima. The girls borrowed an umbrella to walk out to the van. Once in the rental, good-byes were said. Nabiki promised to try to keep in touch, but neither girl was too sure if it could happen. This time Nodoka drove since Ranma appeared to be fifteen year old girl.

As Kasumi watched the car drive away, she hoped that this wasn't the last time she saw her sister and Ranma.

* * *

Captain Gloval walked into a meeting a bit late. He'd just come from the bridge as he was maneuvering to get the civilians off the ship. After months of floating in the South Pacific, he decided to move the SDF-1 in a way that it would force the hands of the powers that be. Ultimately the SDF-1 hovered over the city of Los Angeles demanding the disembarkment of the civilian population, eventually changing course for French-Canada.

However this meeting had nothing to do with that. This meeting concerned the replacement of Commander Roy Fokker. Roy had been dead for over a month now, and though the squadrons had been reshuffled, there was a need to fill the positions of Commander of Air Group and Skull Squadron commander on a more permanent basis.

In the room were Colonel Maistroff (militarily, Gloval's second in command), Commander Peterson (tactical commander), and Major Fisher (commander of the Destroid units).

"Okay, gentlemen, what do we have in replacing Commander Fokker?" Gloval asked as he took his seat.

"Not much," commented Peterson.

"How so?" Gloval inquired.

"Basically, what we have remaining are mostly pilots recruited after we were stranded in Plutospace. Meaning, they've got tons of fighting experience, but I'm not too comfortable handing the wing over to most of the squadron commanders."

"Okay, let me hear what we have."

Gloval proceeded to hear a list of eight lieutenants, six squadron commanders and two executive officers. Gloval grimaced at the thought of turning the position of CAG to a lieutenant, especially since the position called for, at least, a lieutenant commander. When Peterson finished, Gloval realized that a name was missing off the list of recommendation.

"What about Lt. Saotome?"

"Ah, well, there's his condition," stated Peterson.

It had become known to those in high command that Ranma had a unique condition. In the time since its discovery, he had been put through various tests to determine its effects on him. Some were apprehensive on allowing him to stay in the RDF, feeling that he wasn't truthful in revealing to them this information. However there wasn't a chance that would happen since there were a limited number of pilots.

"And what of his condition?" Gloval waited for an answer. Ranma was a competent pilot, highly decorated, escaped from Zentraedi captivity, and as of now, had the most kills of any pilot on board.

Maistroff asked, "You wouldn't be asking because of his relations?"

"This has nothing to do with the fact Lt. Saotome is the nephew of Cmdr. Fokker," replied went on to list Ranma qualifications. Did he really need to? The SDF-1 was his ship, and his was the final decision.

Maistroff realized that that decision was already made. "Why are we even here? It seems you've already decided."

"Lieutenant Ranma Saotome is going to be the CAG?" asked Fisher, realizing what Maistroff was getting at.

"Exactly," replied Gloval.

"But what about his condition?" asked Peterson.

"From what the report says, Lt. Saotome's condition won't affect his performance," interjected Maistroff, who had just quickly scanned the copy of the psychological report.

Realizing the decision was made, Peterson moved on, "Okay, if we make Lt. Saotome the CAG, who do we get to replace him?"

"Why don't we leave that up to Saotome," answered Gloval. "After all, that's part of his job."

* * *

Lisa made her way to the crew lounge that was off to the side of the _Prometheus_. Knowing that the civilians were soon to be off the ship and in a safer situation, it was much easier to relax. She didn't mean anything bad having this feeling. This was a military vessel; civilians weren't meant to be on it. They had been lucky so far that none of them had been seriously injured.

Stepping into the lounge, she couldn't believe how packed it was. The first thing that came to mind was everybody wanted to see the Rockies as the ship traversed the North American. It was much different from the ocean view they had for so many weeks.

Her eyes immediately spotted Claudia. She had a table all to herself. However there was a look about her that told Lisa that she wanted to be alone. She had that sad expression on her face. Lisa believed she understood the feeling. She felt much the same when she found out about Mars Base Sara. Granted her losing Karl Riber was nothing like Claudia losing Roy. For one thing, she didn't carry Karl's child. Also Claudia didn't want to hang around Lisa these days, as Nodoka Hasegawa was the only person she preferred for company.

Lisa continued looking around and spotted Lt. Rick Hunter looking out one of the windows. She didn't really know him. She barely remembered him from that fateful day, well over a year ago. Of course she dealt with him as a member of Ranma's squadron. Lisa noticed that he seemed depressed too. As to what for, she had no clue. Then again, she never knew of the friendship between Roy and him.

She kept looking for an open seat but soon realized that there weren't any. There weren't any other people she might slightly know. However off in a corner, she spotted Ranma, in uniform. It was rare that she saw him in uniform that she almost didn't recognize him.

Ranma hadn't been having a good time since stopping the Tendo Dojo. As soon as they set foot on the SDF-1, Claudia escorted him to the doctors and promptly explained to them that the girl in front of them was a guy. From that point on, he went through test after test after test. He had never felt so violated in his life after some of the test they put him through. He never felt so embarrassed in his life, especially when she got sexually aroused while in the presence of another man. It definitely was a crash course of feminine modesty. He had never been so shocked and ashamed than when the gynecologist told her that her sexual organs were mature, if Ranma wanted to have babies.

With all that happening, he was waiting for the backlash from the other pilots. He didn't think the RDF could afford to have any of them in traction from him beating the living hell out of them. At the moment, he made sure to avoid any contact with anyone, unsure if his luck would hold out.

"Is this seat taken?" a female voice asked out of the blue.

Ranma turned to find Lisa Hayes standing to his left. Lisa had made her way to the table without Ranma noticing. It wasn't something that she tried to do; she just somehow managed to walk through the lounge under Ranma's radar.

"Yes," replied Ranma, rather bluntly.

Lisa was taken back slightly, but nonetheless sat down. Ranma immediately gave her an intimidating glare that was completely ignored as Lisa was motioning to a waitress in order to order a cup of green tea.

When the waitress left after bring the tea, Ranma asked, "What part of 'yes' did you not understand?"

"It looked like you could use a friend, so I came over here." Loosely translated, 'I needed a place to sit, and you were the only person I knew with an open seat.'

Ranma stated that there might've been a reason he wanted to seat alone. Lisa determined that it was just another attempt to get her to leave.

"Does it really bug you that I'm here?" Lisa asked after taking a sip of her ordered tea.

"Yes!"

"Good."

From that reply, Ranma thought Lisa was about to leave. Unfortunately that was not the case.

"You can say this is partial payback for the many times you annoyed me."

Ranma was perplexed by the statement as he had no clue what she was talking about. Of course he had forgotten about all the childish things that he had done to her or the time he stuck his head under her skirt or when he unintentionally copped a feel.

But he did remember… "Is this about the time you kissed me?"

Lisa quickly shushed him, hoping no one overheard. She quickly decided that maybe this was not the best line of conversation. "Sooooo, it must be tough to lose a relative?"

Ranma really didn't know. He'd spent ten years of his life on the road with his father, so he had forgotten about his relatives, including his mother. Lisa was shocked to hear that. Her mother had died early in her life, but she could never forget her.

After sipping more tea, Lisa said, "Say, that a tune from that Minmei girl I've seen you with. Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, she's just an old friend. More like a sister actually," Ranma replied.

_That's nice to hear_, Lisa thought. "Well she seems to be a really nice girl. Guess she's going to leave when the civilians are allowed to leave."

That was news to Ranma. He had to wonder if she would leave, for he liked having her there. Her family had wished she'd stayed the first time they were in Japan. It wasn't like he had any say in the matter, unlike his mother, who he was sure would stay if he had to stay onboard. Then what about Nabiki?

With Ranma not saying much, the conversation became stagnant as Lisa didn't know what else to say. She had never tried to get to know a man in a non-professional manner. Karl Riber was somehow different because she was so young at the time, and he worked for her father.

"Look, I'm gonna take off," Ranma said, much now on his mind.

Lisa did nothing to stop him. It wasn't until he had left that she realized that she had the opportunity to ask him about some rumors going around. "Damnit," she said, looking down at her almost empty cup of tea.

* * *

Minmei walked into her dressing room for a little break. Her days have been non-stop since Roy's funeral. There were her recording sessions, her personal appearances, her singing engagements, and her filming schedule. On top of that, she still had class work to do. Of course Nodoka was considerate in the amount she gave Minmei. But Minmei, knowing she wasn't the best of students, made sure she'd done at least an hour's work every day.

To her, it felt like she was doing thirty-six hours in a twenty-four hour day, and she didn't mind it one bit. She had just returned from a singing engagement and needed to be in costume and on the set. This was to be the last day she needed to do this. It was the last day of shooting, and there was probably no one happier about that than her. All she knew, the next film she starred in, make sure the filming didn't have to be done on a short schedule.

"That was a rather inspired performance," commented Kyle, as soon she stepped in.

Kyle was busy reading the newspaper, already in costume. Because of the size of the budget, they had to share a partitioned dressing room.

"Thank you, Kyle," Minmei replied. "I have to do-"

That's all Minmei was able to say before exhaustion grabbed hold of her body and passed out.

"Minmei!" Kyle sprang out of his chair and caught her before she hit the floor.

* * *

Ranma made his way through the corridors of _Prometheus_. The couple cups of tea were a nice distraction, though it would have been nicer if Lisa hadn't taken a seat. For him, it was time to get back into the simulator. Since he was recently cleared for duty, he didn't want to appear rusty, especially since they were always on alert.

Unfortunately he would never make it there. By sheer coincident, he passed by the opened door of the office of Commander Peterson as he stepped out to inform his secretary to page Ranma to his office. Since the office had glass walls, he spotted Ranma before saying a thing.

"Lieutenant Saotome," Peterson called out. "Lieutenant Saotome, can I talk to you for a moment?"

At first, Ranma stopped, unsure if he heard his name. When he heard a question being asked to him, he realized where he was. Without hesitation he went in.

* * *

Miriya walked into Azonia's ready room. On her face was an expression that no one had ever seen on her before, as it lacked the confidence for which she was known. Two times in combat against the Micronians ended up in two draws. Of course she didn't want to view them as draws. Whenever she went out in combat, it was either best her opponent or they best her. Both times out she didn't feel she bested her opponent because he was still out there, ready to torment her the next time she went out in her Quadrono Power Suit.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), no one had noticed. Not even Azonia, who had an angered expression. She wasn't angry with anything Miriya had done. She just had a conversation with Khyron, if one would called it a conversation. Basically Khyron informed Azonia that he was about to attack the SDF-1 once again, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Noticing Miriya, Azonia saw some relief. It was clear that Khyron was blatantly usurping her authority. With Miriya, she saw the means to regain control of the command Dolza had given her. "Great, Miriya, you're here," she said. "I'm going to need you to go reign Khyron in."

"I…can't," Miriya replied. Her lack of confidence was clear in her voice.

"What do you mean you can't?" Azonia asked, anger seeping into her voice. She wanted an answer that explained why the most accomplished female Zentraedi warrior refused to do as ordered. The answer she got was not what she wanted. Miriya requested to become a Micronian spy. Initially Azonia was puzzled as to why she would request that. There was no need for her to become a spy due to the three already on the SDF-1. It took her a second to figure out the real reason.

"Is this about that Micronian pilot?"

"Yes," answered Miriya. "Unless I don't do away with him, I am useless to you and to our people."

Azonia couldn't quite grasp what Miriya was getting at. Then again, she was a different type of warrior than Miriya. Miriya enjoyed battles; Azonia desired command. What could she do though? If Miriya felt useless, she couldn't possibly keep her amongst her unit if she believed she couldn't fight effectively. But she couldn't just allow someone with so much combat experience taken themselves out of action by pursuing a personal vendetta.

It took time and pleading from Miriya (something very uncommon amongst the Zentraedi) before Azonia finally agreed.

* * *

After his impromptu meeting, Ranma made his way to the hanger bay. First he went over to a Veritech with familiar markings. It was a new one that would have replaced the one destroyed his last time out. It gleamed as it waited for its maiden flight. Unfortunately it wouldn't be by him. It was a standard VF-1A for a new pilot.

He left the Veritech and made his way to where Skull One was normally parked. Was he headed there to pay respects to his uncle? No. He went to check out his new Veritech. No, there wasn't a new forest green trimmed VF-1J parked there. The spot was reserved for Skull One, and Skull One happened to be his new Veritech. It shocked him when Commander Peterson informed him that Captain Gloval decided to promote him to be the CAG.

"Nice to see you back, sir," a female voice said as he approached.

"Janice, did they transfer you, too?" Ranma asked, spotting Lt. Amanda Janice on the top, down on her hands and knees.

"Well, I am your crew chief," she replied. It was rare for a commission officer to perform the role of an enlisted soldier. Amanda Janice wasn't meant to be on SDF-1. She was schedule to transfer to an Earth Defense Force base in England once the super fortress left the island. Like many military personnel that evacuated to the shelters, she was schedule a new duty once rescued. She didn't like her first assignment and had put in for a transfer. When her superior told her that it was either that job or retrain to become a crew chief, it was natural for her to be put off by that. Eventually her dislike of the job grew, and realizing the need for crew chiefs was great, Amanda finally decided to transfer. She was fortunate that the pilot she was assigned was good and happened to be so handsome.

Ranma was happy to hear that. Though he did want to know what she was doing up top. She explained she was making some minor changes so people realized who flew this Skull One. Ranma couldn't think of anything that could do that, but as long as she didn't do anything that affected the performance. With an affirmation that she wouldn't, he went about inspecting his new fighter.

Glancing at it, there wasn't anything different about it. It was the same Veritech that seemingly went out for every sortie. Its pilot seemed indestructible. With its pilot, it defended this ship, the SDF-1, gallantly. Now he was charged with filling his indestructible uncle's shoes. That was a daunting task for someone whose life was meant to settle conflicts with his hands and feet.

He stood to the left of the cockpit and wondered if he was biting off more than he could chew. He was now the group commander. This definitely would be different than leading just a squadron like before. Now all the squadrons were under his command. He would no longer have Rick to fall back. He would probably give Rick command of Vermilion.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Lookie what we've got here," came a familiar voice from about the nose of his plane.

Ranma turned his head and saw Max and Ben standing there. A smile appeared, happy to see some friends. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We just finished our patrol, sir," Max replied. There a moment of silence before Max spoke again, while looking at Skull One. "I'm sorry for what happened to your family, lieutenant."

"Much appreciated, Max," Ranma replied.

"Say, did you hear they're goin' ta get the civilians off?" Ben stated. "I also hear that new squadrons are being assigned for our return to space. Do you think Commander Fokker's replacement will be with them?"

Since Roy's replacement had yet to be announced, it seemed to be an appropriate question. A question Ranma answered. The two were surprise to hear that their commander was the new CAG. They were also happy for Ranma because it meant they might be transferred back to Skull Squadron. At least that's how it seemed to be done as they followed their commander from Black Team to Vermilion Squadron.

"Say, why don't we go into town and celebrate?" Ben suggested.

"Okay!" Ranma agreed.

* * *

Well within the Earth's atmosphere, Khyron smiled as he thought of the opportunity that was presented to him. After spending in the middle of the ocean, it finally moved over land, and with it over land, Khyron believed it was more vulnerable and easy for the taking.

Initially he went into his latest attack with only a small attack force. However once he noticed how the terrain of the planet favored a surprise attack, he communicated to his fleet to strengthen their electronic countermeasures, and sent three battlewagons to hide amongst the hills. On his signal, they would present themselves and commence a frontal attack that would surely destroy the ship. Once that was done, he would have full reign on the Micronians and treat them how he pleased.

Now all he had to do was bring out the SDF-1's defenses with his small attack force.

* * *

Ranma, Ben, and Max met up with Rick in the city. Rick had taken the death of Roy harder than most would have thought. There weren't many that knew Roy was the big brother he never had. Roy and Nodoka were all he family he had, and now Roy was gone. He was the one that convinced him to join the RDF. He was the one that inspired him to become a pilot in the first place, even though Rick's father was the owner of a flying circus. Now he was gone, and Rick wasn't even allowed to attend the funeral and grieve.

The bad thing was none of his friends knew why he was in such a funk. Ben and Max thought it had something to do with Kim, while Ranma thought it might have something to do with Minmei. So when the three saw him, the two junior officers decided it would be kind to have Rick join in Ranma's position promotion party.

The four ended up at one of the few steakhouses on the SDF-1. It was a personal selection of Ben.

"So what happens to the squadron?" Rick asked.

The four had taken seats on the bar. While Ranma, Max, and Rick had ordered drinks, Ben waited for his steak to come.

"Well, I guess they'll give you command outright," Ranma stated, sipping of his tea.

"Oh," Rick replied, a bit deflated. Just like Ben and Max, he thought Ranma's promotion would mean his transfer back to Skull Squadron. Sure he liked the thought of commanding a squadron, but he really liked flying with Ranma, as much as he liked flying with Roy.

* * *

Claudia returned to the bridge, refreshed from her time in the lounge. She had spent more time there than normal, but no one said anything about it. Lisa had not been back long herself, having returned just as the SDF-1 entering Ontario from over the Great Lakes. After finishing her tea, she went to her room to rest. Even after resting, she was still slightly upset that she couldn't confirm those rumors about Ranma. Though after reading a release she'd came to the conclusion that they were false, otherwise why would they make him the CAG.

Captain Gloval entered the bridge not long after Claudia. "How are things?"

"We are quickly approaching French-Canada," Lisa replied. "We should be over Quebec City within an hour."

French-Canada, formerly known as the Province of Quebec, was the only nation on Earth willing to take the refugees of Macross Island. Having finally voted for it separation from Canada at the beginning of the Global Civil War, this act of acceptance was seen as one of defiance since it was one of the few nations not a member of the United Earth Government, the world governing organization that replaced the United Nations at the end of the Global Civil War.

Gloval was pleased to hear that. Finally he would have the civilians off the ship safely. No longer would he have the extra worry of unnecessary deaths. He knew there were some that wanted to stay, which was only natural since familial groups had developed amongst members of the RDF and the civilians since Pluto, and they wanted to stay with them. He would be glad for the majority of the civilians to be gone.

Within twenty minutes, the SDF-1 entered across the country from the west and approached the city of Amos. That was when Vanessa said the words Gloval wished not to hear at that time. "Sir, the radar has suddenly gone dead." Gloval just groaned as Lisa confirmed Vanessa's statement by announcing that the short range radar was dead too.

Composing himself, he ordered Lisa to launch all available fighters since they had no clue about the size of the attack force they were set to face over the city of Amos.

* * *

"Finally, it's here!" Ben cheered as an 18 oz. porterhouse was placed in front of him.

"Anything else I can get for you, sir?" asked the bartender.

Ben asked for some steak sauce. The other looked at him, as if he was crazy. Max asked if Ben thought he could eat all of it. Ben didn't care. He had desired this all week

Just as he made his first cut into the meat, Ranma's cellphone rang. He answered it with a bit of apprehension. As he had yet to obtain a personal cellphone, he knew this had something to do with his new position of group commander. His head dropped after he heard the message.

"Come on, guys. Let's go," Ranma calmly commented.

They wanted to know how come, especially Ben who had a portion of steak poised to enter his mouth. They were soon provided the answer as their phones went off. Checking the caller id, the three were off their barstools and followed Ranma out of the establishment, though Ben was hesitant to leave, especially with a nice juicy steak of the table.

The chef and the owner looked at them and wondered what was going on, since they left without paying. Fortunate for them, they were all in the RDF. Thinking about the fact they were RDF, was they quick departure meant they were under or about to be under attack.

Fifteen minutes later, the four were amongst the many pilots that raced out to their Veritechs.

Ranma sat in the cockpit of Skull One; it felt strange to him. Strange in the fact that this used to be his uncle's Veritech.

"Good hunting, lieutenant," Janice said as he secured his helmet.

Ranma acknowledged her as the canopy came down and began to taxi to the elevators. Announcing he was ready to take off, he received final instruction from Lisa. When he had them, he left the deck, followed by the remainder of Skull Squadron and the rest of the fighter wing.

When Claudia heard the words that Skull Leader was ready for takeoff, she gasped. She never thought that they would replace Roy so soon. When Lisa confirmed her suspicions, she let out a silent sob. Knowing that Roy's nephew was taking his place seemed to be the right decision to her. Ranma truly was the only person that could replace Roy. Maybe Rick Hunter, but definitely Ranma.

* * *

Above the skies of Amos, amidst the twilit summer day, two groups converged upon each other. Coming over some mounts were Khyron and his band of Battlepods. With this attack, he assured himself that he would put fear into the Micronians, both on the surface and in the SDF-1. That's if it still existed after this was done.

Opposing him was Ranma and the Veritechs of the SDF-1. Their numbers were low as they hadn't had a graduating class to replenish them in well over a month. Ranma couldn't concern himself with that right now. Nor the fact he was flying headlong with a minimum-sized attack force. No, he was caught off guard by the fact he had no second-in-command. No one had bothered to tell him Captain Kramer had died in the same attack the killed his uncle.

There was an unseen craft also flying in the twilight. A single Quadrono unit flew as low to the ground as possible as it made its way for the SDF-1. Flying it was Seloy Deparra, Miriya Parino's second-in-command. In her armored hand, in a container, was Miriya Parino in a micronized form. Seloy was doing the same mission that Miriya did several months ago.

"Do you really want to go onto the SDF-1 without a weapon?" Seloy asked with much concern. Miriya was her best friend, and believing this to be a suicide mission, she would have felt more comfortable knowing that Miriya had something to defend herself with.

"There's no other way for me," Miriya replied.

"It's just that Commander Azonia is worried for your safety."

"Well there is no need for me to worry about that," Miriya replied, rather curtly. She looked out the window and watched the now raging battle.

* * *

Ranma was once again in his new elements, inside a Veritech cockpit amongst the chaos of galactic battle with the Zentraedi. The only difference now, he was leading the wing into battle. He flew much better than the last time he was in action. He zipped by Battlepods, leaving clouds of destruction in his wake.

Far off to his starboard side, Rick was handling his business. He wasn't destroying Battlepods at the same clip as Ranma, but really who could. Though unlike Ranma, he had wingmen that had his full confidence. As for Ranma, he pretty much flew solo since he knew so few of the remaining pilots on his squadron.

What none of the pilots realized, an Officer's Pod with an odd attachment that made it function much like a fighter slipped away and headed back to the mounts.

* * *

On the bridge, Lisa was finding it rather difficult directing the battle without a radar of any sort. Though it may be hard, she was doing a pretty good job eyeballing the action. She was also fortunate that Ranma and the other Veritechs weren't allowing anything to approach the SDF-1, may it be Battlepod, Zentraedi fighter, missile or stray laser bolt.

However what she couldn't see were three cruisers moving behind the mounts or the Officer's Pod that made its way to them. That was until both long and short range radar came back online.

"Captain, I've got three large contacts directly behind the mounts, heading right for us," Vanessa called out immediately before the radar room had time to ID the class of vessel.

Gloval was so surprised that he literally fell out of his command seat. "Raise the barrier," he barked out.

The SDF-1 was quickly enveloped by an orange transparent sphere. Developed during the many months it took to get back to Earth, the new omni-directional barrier system still used the energy discovered after the fold systems turned up missing. It was just within the last weeks that Dr. Lang and his team of Robotech scientists were able to perfect the system.

* * *

Khyron entered the bridge of his flagship, excited in his belief that he had the Micronians on the ropes. "Is everything set for our glorious victory?" he asked.

"Sir, the Micronians seem to have some type of bubble surrounding them," Grel announced.

Khyron paid him no attention as he ordered all ships to fire upon the SDF-1.

The now night sky lit up as streaks of lights raced across from the Zentraedi battlewagons to the SDF-1, only to impact the barrier. Khyron laughed almost hysterically at what he perceived as direct hits. It soon stopped when the SDF-1 reappeared fully intact, as every bolt was deflected by the curvature of the sphere.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" asked Ranma when the barrier went online. Not knowing the purpose of it, his eyes opened wide in surprise when the Zentraedi opened fire directly at the ship. For that instant, he was more concerned about his mother, Minmei, and Nabiki than the Battlepods and Zentraedi fighters he was dispatching at will. He let out a sigh of relief when the SDF-1 reappeared unscathed and was sure many of the other pilots did so as well.

Ranma returned to the business of dispatching Zentraedi crafts as the continued barrages struck the barrier. Realizing there weren't many Zentraedi left, he figured if the cruisers kept firing on the SDF-1, the barrier would eventually fail.

Immediately he ordered all squadron commanders to turn their attentions to the battle cruisers. The instant he said it, he thought of a scene from a movie and laughed. No sooner had he given the order, Lisa appeared on the tac-net and told him the same thing, causing Ranma to laugh again.

With two members from his squadron on his wing, Ranma proceeded to take out gun emplacements on what he perceived as the lead vessel. Rick did the same thing with Max and Ben on his wing to one of the other vessels. The same thing was happening on the other vessels as dozens of groups of three attacked gun emplacements. Unfortunately they weren't destroying them quickly enough as the barrier appeared to approach critical levels. Even though the barrier worked by deflecting laser fire, this iteration if the barrier also absorbed some of the energy. Since Khyron had his small flotilla continually firing on the SDF-1, the excess energy started to build within the barrier, hence approaching critical levels.

When it went critical, Ranma only received a few seconds notice to get away, as the Zentraedi vessels were damn near on top of the SDF-1, meaning they were within the blast radius. He had even fewer time to disseminate the information to the wing. In the end that meant not everyone made it.

One of those was Ben Dixon. Ben heard the message the same time as Rick and Max, but he was a tad slow getting off the surface of the Zentraedi vessel. As the barrier expanded, he could literally feel it nipping on his tail. He tried giving his Veritech more speed in order to catch up at least to Max, who was just in front of him. Nevertheless Max seemed to stay just in front of him, and Ben could not get any more out of his Veritech.

The last thing Ben heard was Rick's encouragement that he was going to make it. Unfortunately seconds after giving that encouragement, an excruciating scream came over the tac-net as Ben was engulfed and obliterated by the expanding bubble.

When the bubble burst, only one Zentraedi cruiser remained, several good Veritech pilots were dead, and western portion of Amos was gone. The SDF-1, hovering over a huge moon-like crater, was totally unscathed. However with portions of Amos gone, so were the hopes of the citizens of Macross City of ever setting foot on Earth again. Within minutes of the barrier's disappearance, the French-Canadian government transmitted the instant decision of rescission to the SDF-1 and its captain.

Lisa passed that message to Ranma, though it wasn't the best time for him. Rick had just informed him of the loss of Ben. Ben was one of the few friends that Ranma had made in the year he'd been on the SDF-1. He may not have been an ace like he, Rick, and Max, but he seemed to liven things up amongst the four with his good-natured attitude that sometimes made him seem slow and dimwitted.

* * *

"Lt. Hunter. Lt. Hunter." Rick heard as he left the pilots locker room to make his way to his room. It was an exhausting battle and an exhausting day. He could use some sleep, but right now he was going to find out why his name was being called. He turned to the sound of his name, finding an enlisted soldier from the orderly room.

"A message came of you during to the battle from a Lynn Lena," she said.

That piqued Rick's interest. He had never received a message from her before.

"All right. Go ahead."

"Well, she just said, 'Min's in the hospital.'"

At first Rick didn't understand what Lena meant by that. Who was the Min, and why should he care? And then it hit him as to who Min was.

"Thanks for the message," he said, as he raced off for Macross General.

The soldier watched him leave, and then remembered the message was also for Lt. Saotome. Instead of finding him, she screamed to Rick if he could also tell Ranma. Unfortunately he never heard her. Besides he couldn't if he had heard her. Rick didn't know where Ranma was since he left way before him.

Minutes later, Rick was at the admittance desk. Off in the waiting room were several journalists, having heard that Minmei had been rushed to hospital after collapsing into the arms of her handsome co-star Lynn Kyle. Rick leaned over to the receptionist and whispered, "What room is Ms. Lynn in?"

The receptionist was under strict rules as to who could really know that Minmei was there. Only her "brother," his mother, and aunt, uncle and cousins could be let in to see her. Oh, and her "boyfriend," too, but everyone on the SDF-1 knew Minmei wasn't dating anyone. Though she could see the money if she had the scoop of Minmei's dating habits. So she denied knowledge of Minmei being at the hospital, much the same as with the journalists.

Rick didn't know how to take the statement. He had already been told that Minmei was here. Something compelled him to blatantly lie and say he was Minmei's boyfriend. He was surprised when the receptionist wrote down the room number on a piece of paper.

Taking the paper and making sure none of the journalist saw him, he snuck away to the room. Once there, he barged in, not even thinking that Minmei might be in an indecent or not in the room at the time. Luckily she wasn't and was.

"Minmei, what happened?" he asked.

Minmei didn't mind that he looked rather exhausted. She was just happy that he took the time to come. She answered his question, explaining how she passed out from exhaustion after her small concert, before her last day of shooting. Though it sounded stupid, Rick let out a sigh of relief, thankful that it wasn't something more serious.

"Please don't tell Ranma?" she ended her explanation.

"And why shouldn't I?"

"He would kill me if he found out I was in the hospital for the same reason as him. So would his mom."

Rick had to laugh at that. Minmei put on a pouty face and asked what was so funny. Rick looked at her and thought she looked absolutely adorable, even though she wasn't going for that at the moment. He answered her by explaining that the media was in the lobby, so there was no doubt that Ranma and Nodoka already knew.

Hearing the word "media" caused Minmei to scrunch up her face, which also made her look adorable to Rick, which made him wonder if the feeling he once had for her were starting to resurface. Of all the things she liked about her life, the media was the one thing she could live without. It was the one thing she never factored into her dreams of being a star.

For the next hour or so, the two spent the time talking, something they hadn't done much lately. During this time, Rick temporarily got over the grief of losing a friend.

* * *

Billions upon trillions of miles away, a record of the battle was being view almost simultaneously by the Supreme Zentraedi Commander, Dolza. It had been the first time that Dolza had done this, using a ship within the fleet which the sole purpose is to record every battle for analysis and archival. Thanks to this, he realized that maybe taking Breetai off active duty and replacing him with Azonia wasn't the brightest things.

"Get me Breetai," he said to his aide the second the battle was over.

* * *

Author's notes:

I hope no one was surprised about Ranma becoming Skull Leader. After all, the basis of the story was to try to put Ranma in the Rick Hunter role while changing Rick into a secondary hero.


	17. First Move revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 17: First Move

* * *

Lieutenant Parker Fosher sped down the street and came to a stop in the drive of his military provided home. Parked on the curb was a large moving truck with belongings of his home in it. His wife, Emily, stood at the door. There was an angry look on her face as she watched movers take their belongings without her permission or even an explanation why.

Now that her husband was home, hopeful she would get an explanation as to the intrusion. "Parker, honey, can you explain to me what's going on here?" she asked so sweetly. Sweet enough to suggest to Parker that he might just want to hop back in the car and drive back to the base. Unfortunately there was no way out of it.

"Ah, well you see, sweetie. Mmm, I've been transferred," Parker started his explanation.

Being transferred to a new base was nothing new to Emily Fosher. Being a wife of an Earth Forces officer, she understood that they would move wherever the military saw the need for her husband. However it was never like this.

"That's nice. But why so sudden?"

"Well, it's the SDF-1. So we have to leave within the next couple of hours," Parker threw out. He watched his wife lose all the color from her face. She knew what it meant, well partially. She knew they were about to leave Earth. She had seen the news. She had seen what happen to the city of Amos.

This scene happened to about a 150 couple throughout the world. Why? For the simple reason that their husbands were Veritech pilots. Word had come down from the United Earth Defense Council that the SDF-1 had overstayed its welcome and had brought its fight to the citizens of Earth, even if French-Canada wasn't member of the United Earth Council.

The UEDC was going to be kind enough to restock the SDF-1 with materials, foods, and pilots so that the people can hopefully get by until this war was over (or the SDF-1 destroyed). And how many pilots were being reassigned to the SDF-1? Two hundred in all and for some bases, they lost entire squadrons. At other bases, they lost their best and highly trained pilots amongst their squadrons. Of those 200, 150 were married, and were given the choice of taking their families. Many thought it would be boring to take them with them, feeling there would be nothing to do for, say, a teenager out in space. Many thought it would be to a grand adventure, being in space. Such was the case for Lt. Parker Fosher, who was in line for squadron command at a former United States base in the panhandle of the state of Florida.

* * *

"Hi, Daddy," Nabiki spoke into a phone.

"N-Nabiki, is that really you?" Soun's voice came back. It was the first time since Akane's wedding that he'd heard from his daughter. When she acknowledged that it was, he asked what it was she needed.

"I don't need anything," Nabiki replied. "It's just we're about to go to space, and they're allowing all the civilians call their relatives to let them know we're okay."

"Well that's nice of them." With that statement, Soun moved on to the more important business. "How are things between you and Ranma going?"

Nabiki groaned upon hearing this. She couldn't believe he would bring it up, especially since Ranma was no longer on the Saotome clan register. She decided to say something that was quite out of character for her. "Well, we have hours long sessions of hot sex. Hopefully we'll have a baby soon."

She silently laughed the second that spewed from her mouth. Unfortunately Soun didn't understand that it was a joke. He didn't even sound appalled over her daughter speaking about sex over the phone. In fact he was gushing over the phone with delight, since it was something he wanted, as he believed Ranma to be honorable enough to marry Nabiki for having his baby, thus fulfilling his and Genma's greatest desire to unite the schools.

Much of these Nabiki forgot to think about before pulling her joke. "Honestly, daddy, do you believe the two of us to have sex before we were married?"

Soun didn't feel the need to answer that question since one daughter had already proven to do just that. "Even so, Ranma is treating you nicely? You're not taking advantage of his generosity like before?"

"Daddy!"

"Don't 'Daddy!' me, daughter." There was a brief pause before he continued. This time it was in a more apologetic tone. "Some of the things you did to him have finally come to my attention. I understand the reasoning behind, and I apologize for putting you in that position. But you must remember, it's up to you to unite our two families."

Nabiki explained to him the improbability of that. As she understood it, Ranma was now on the Hasegawa clan register. Soun didn't like hearing that and countered by explaining to her to explain to Ranma that if he wished to continue practicing the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, that he must marry her.

Nabiki realized that this conversation was going in a direction she didn't want to go. If the next thing she said wasn't to her father's liking, they would arguably become upset with each other; something she didn't want bearing in mind she didn't know if she'd ever have the chance to talk to him again. After telling him that she would try to do that, she asked if she could talk to Kasumi.

"Father seemed rather adamant about that," Kasumi said once she was on the phone.

"I know," Nabiki replied. "I shouldn't have made that joke."

"So you and Ranma aren't having sex?" Kasumi asked. It wasn't hard for her not miss that part of the father-daughter conversation since she, Akane, and Genma were all in the vicinity when Soun broke out in a dance while proclaiming to be a grandfather again.

"Don't sound so excited about hearing that," Nabiki replied to her sister. "Besides, I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks."

"I'm sorry to hear things aren't going too well between the two of you," Kasumi said, concerned about her sister, knowing the reason she left in the first place.

"Things just aren't going."

Kasumi wanted to know what she meant about that. Nabiki explained that even though they were on the same ship, and that Ranma helped her out with some living expenses, she barely saw him to even start something.

"Well does he realize you're wanting to date him?"

"I would have thought he would have picked up on that fact."

As soon as she heard that, Kasumi shook her head. She thought Nabiki would have been smarter to start making the same assumptions as Akane when it came to a relationship with a guy that had a weird effect on the sisters (including her, to an extent). And Nabiki saw the mistakes that Akane made, so Kasumi thought.

"Have you thought about asking him?"

"I can't do that."

"And I thought you were a modern woman," said the traditional woman. "But you know it doesn't necessarily have to be a date."

Nabiki liked that idea and couldn't believe she hadn't thought about it herself. She was thankful she had a big sister, even if said sister hadn't dated until recently. Speaking of which, "Off topic, how are things between you and Dr. Tofu?" Nabiki heard a sigh over the phone, immediately knowing that wasn't good.

"Things were fine, but he had a relapse last week. So we're not seeing each other right now."

Nabiki was sorry to hear that. She hoped that he would recover soon, so Kasumi could get on with her own life. She noticed it was about time for the dinner rush. So she ended the phone call by telling Kasumi that she loved them all and would try to get in touch whenever possible.

With the phone on the hook, she left the area specially set for this purpose and proceeded back to Macross City and the White Dragon. The space was necessary because all the phones there were secure from the UEDC detection, who didn't want the people of Earth to realize the relatives that were proclaimed dead were actually alive.

While she was on the phone, Gloval made the announcement that most already knew. The SDF-1 had been ordered back into space. Realizing that there might be some discord amongst the citizens, Minmei had stepped forward, offered some words of encouragement, and then proceeded into song. That was what Nabiki heard as she made her way back. It wasn't long before she felt the SDF-1 rocket off the surface of the Atlantic Ocean to signal the start of her venture into space.

As she walked, she began thinking about how she could ask Ranma out on a date but not make it seem like it was a date.

* * *

A drab green jeep sped along the busy streets of Macross, as it took three pilots away from the _Prometheus_. Two of the occupants were familiar with the city, Ranma Saotome (the driver) and Rick Hunter. The third person, seating in the back seat, was a black man new to the SDF-1, Lt. Parker Fosher. Why was Lt. Fosher been driven around by Ranma? An educated guess would be that the kind-hearted Ranma Saotome was showing him around town with the help of his friend, Rick Hunter. But that was not the case. Ranma had finished his first meeting with all the squadron commanders under his command, including the new squadron reassigned to the SDF-1 before its departure. One could imagine the looks on the reassigned commanders when they saw that their commander was younger than them, still a teenager. Parker Fosher found himself in the jeep because Ranma had given him command of his old squadron.

What did that mean for Rick? Nothing really as even though he was qualified to lead the squadron, he felt comfortable being second to Ranma. The two found the drive as a good opportunity to tell Parker about the pilots under his command, excluding Max Sterling, who Ranma reassigned to Skull Squadron. It was mostly Rick doing the talking, since he had the most knowledge of Vermilion's pilots.

"This is really nice of you to do this for me, sir," Parker commented after they were done. After all, when he was volunteered to join the SDF-1, he thought his chances for a command were gone.

"Well, it only seems right, since you are the only one being given command instead of coming with a squadron, and you have a group of guys that have been in combat for over a year," replied Ranma. "Oh, and you don't need to call me 'sir' now. We're off duty, so it's just Ranma."

"He's a stickler for formalities. Meaning he hates it," Rick commented. "So how do you like the city so far?"

Parker explained how he and his wife were quite surprise to find a city in the bowels of the space fortress. With them being onboard for two days, they had yet to able to explore the various things Macross City had to offer.

It wasn't too long before the jeep came to a stop in front of a hotel. With the influx of new personnel and some of them with families, the RDF placed them in hotels until they finished building new quarters. After Parker jumped out, Ranma gunned the engine and headed to another part of the city. After some silence, Ranma asked, "You're not upset about Parker getting command of Vermilion?"

"Naw. Not at all," Rick replied. "Sure it would be nice to have a squadron, but with as much as you're absent for illness, it's almost being in command."

Ranma gave a hesitant laugh, realizing what he meant by illness was his curse. Rick joined him with a heartier laugh. Of course, Rick didn't quite know what Ranma was laughing about.

Rick ended his laughter and said, "I remember what Roy said when he put us together. How it's better to have someone you trust as your wingman."

Ranma thought about that for a second. "I don't remember him sayin' that."

"Well he might not have said it like that, but that's what he meant," Rick replied.

At that point, Ranma pulled to a stop in the parking lot of Hotel Continental. Rick immediately asked why they had stopped there. He thought they were headed out for food. Ranma replied that they had class, which Rick promptly denied. He didn't have any class until tomorrow. Ranma answered that by saying his mother wanted to gather all her students together for one joint class. What type of class, he didn't know.

* * *

"Okay, I want you to diagram this sentence," Nodoka said as she wrote on a dry erase board that she had at the house for the purpose of teaching her children and Rick.

Minmei, Ranma, and Rick groaned as they copied down the sentence. Today's lesson was English, and Nodoka saw it as an opportunity to have all her students together, especially since English was one of the subjects Ranma was lacking. He may have known the language and spoke it fluently, but Nodoka would have still liked for him to speak it properly.

The doorbell rang as Nodoka finished writing the sentence. She wondered who it was since neither she nor Minmei were expecting anyone or were scheduled to perform for the rest of the evening. Minmei did have a performance a couple of hours ago, but she assured Nodoka she had nothing else. Granted Minmei's schedule was subject to sudden change, but usually they gave a courtesy call before coming over.

She left the back room to answer the door. Once gone, Ranma turned to the others and said, "Do you guys understand how to do this?"

His two classmates looked at him and shook their heads.

"I don't even know why we need this," stated Minmei.

Of course the two native Japanese speakers wouldn't understand diagramming English sentences. Though the same could be said for Rick, the American, only because when most students started to learn this, they're in high school. Rick spent his one year of high school playing hooking with his fanjet.

"Ranma, someone wants to talk with you," Nodoka called.

"Comin'," he called back, picking himself off the floor. Immediately he wandered who it could be. The first he tried to figure out how many people knew of his mother and the fact that she lived with Minmei as her guardian. They were few. Next he asked himself how many of those people knew he was being home-schooled by her and had the presence of mind to come here for him. The answer to that was one, besides those two that were already here, Lynn Lena.

Ranma brushed off his uniform in case it was someone of importance. Instead he was greeted by the sight of Nabiki Tendo. He let out a sigh of relief at the fact it wasn't someone important. It was probably sheer coincidence that she happened to find him there.

His sigh prevented him from hearing Nabiki catch her breath. One look at Ranma in uniform had Nabiki believing in that old saying about a man in uniform. This was the first time she had seen him in uniform, as he preferred to wear his usual clothing, and he looked simply desirable. It wasn't like she hadn't thought of him as handsome, having already seen his well tone bare torso (in both forms), knew how appealing he was in only a tank top t-shirt and boxers. Somehow, Ranma Saotome in a military uniform was too much to the pleasure center of her brain.

"Wassup, Nabiki?"

Nabiki didn't reply as she just stared at him. This wasn't uncommon to Ranma, though it usually was a glare. After a minute of Nabiki staring at him and saying nothing, Ranma started to get annoyed. "Hey, Nabiki." Still nothing. He waved his hands in front of her face, and she finally returned to reality. He wondered what it was all about. Nodoka knew what it was about but played innocent when Ranma gave her an explanative glance.

"Ah, yeah. Um, Ranma, it's good to see you," Nabiki started out.

"Okay," Ranma replied. "Say, I'm kinda busy. Wanna join us in the back room?"

"Th-the back room?" This wasn't the direction she wanted to go. Nothing good could happen in the back room, especially with his mother around.

"Yes. Rick, Minmei, and I are in the middle of our English studies. I'm sure mom would not mind if there was one extra." Ranma cleaned up his speech as he could feel Nodoka's eyes boring into his skull.

Nodoka made her way back to see how Minmei and Rick were doing on the sentence. Taking Nabiki's silence as a yes, Ranma soon followed. When she didn't show up seconds later, Ranma went back to the entryway.

"Nabiki, is something wrong?" he asked with concern.

Nabiki heard the concern. No guy had ever sounded concerned for her. And here was this guy who she passed on when he first showed up on her family's doorstep, who she treated like dirt for several months, only to gain some type of liking only after he was reported dead, and who was kind to allow her to join him on a spaceship. He actually was concerned for her. If she hadn't fallen in love with him yet, she did at that moment. Only, how could she express her feeling to him.

And then she remembered why she was trying to find him. "Ah, well, I really can't stay. The dinner rush begins in twenty minutes."

"Nabiki, it's nine o'clock," Ranma informed her. "The White Dragon just closed."

Nabiki was shocked to hear that. She could believe it took her the entire night to find him. "Awe, man." She was in for it now. She had told Lena that she would be right back after calling her family. Then she got sidetracked by Kasumi saying it was all right for a girl to ask a boy out. She'd been to (or called) all of the places she thought she might catch Ranma, with Minmei's place being the last place. Now here she was, standing, looking at Ranma in uniform, and daydreaming about him, and he was showing concern for her.

_Okay, just do it, Nabiki_, she told herself. Nabiki's mouth moved to say something but nothing came out.

"Serious, Nabiki, are you okay?" Ranma asked again. "'Cause, I mean, you're not acting like your usual self."

She nodded her response. Inside, she thought, _I can't believe how hard I'm making this. I am able to intimidate people like it was nothing, including Ranma. Yet right now my mind and mouth aren't cooperating. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!_

Ranma was becoming impatient. Nabiki was allowing him to miss his English lesson, but he couldn't just leave her there. If he did, in the back of his mind, he knew his mother would chastise him for being inconsiderate. It was obvious that she wanted to tell him something.

The two stood in the entryway. One was getting bored, waiting for the other to either speak or move towards the back. The other was full of anxiety, trying to figure out how to broach a topic she had only hinted at the previous few months. As she stood there, she thought about this movie where the male lead had the same problem she had now, and how he received some advice from an adult. She tried to think of what the name of the movie, but nothing came to mind.

"Say, Ranma, did you ever see the movie where this guy has this problem but can't figure out how to solve it?" she asked.

"The majority of the movies I've seen lately were like that," Ranma replied. He thought it was a stupid statement but was glad it got her talking. "I hope that wasn't what you came over to ask me."

Nabiki was taken aback by that. It seemed that Ranma didn't want her there. "No, actually it wasn't." So she mentioned that she just spoke with her family.

That got Ranma's interest. For one thing, he didn't know they were allowed a call before takeoff. He would have loved to talk to Ukyo. He wanted her to know that everything was all right. Sure she most likely knew that from Akane already, but it seemed right for her to hear it straight from his mouth. He also wanted to know how Ucchan's was doing. If there was one thing he missed most, it was her okonomiyaki since she made the best.

Nabiki kept talking, not realizing that Ranma wasn't actually paying close attention. However by talking, it allowed her to not think about asking him out, and let her be the new, more personable Nabiki Tendo that she strived to become. Though Ranma wasn't paying close attention, at least he appeared interested in what she was saying. Interested in how Akane and the baby were doing but saddened to hear that Kasumi and Tofu's relationship wasn't progressing well. She didn't mention anything Soun had said. She didn't want Ranma to think she was there to fulfill their fathers' dream.

Ranma was grateful to hear all that, though he realized she didn't say a thing about his or hers father. Then he went on to say, "Hey, look, I have to get back. Look, Rick's birthday's tomorrow, and Minmei and I were going to take him out to eat. You're welcome to join, if you're not too busy."

It was meant as a kind gesture. He didn't know how many friends she had made since arriving besides Minmei. No sooner had Ranma said that, he saw something from Nabiki he'd never seen before. A smile. Okay, sure, he had seen her smile before, but it always put some type of fear in him, as he would either part ways with his money or be involved in some type of scheme soon afterwards. But this smile wasn't like that. It was… It was… It was…Well he couldn't quite describe it, having never experienced this type of smile before. At least not to his recollections.

For Nabiki, she realized that this might be the closest thing to having Ranma ask her out on a date, if she wanted to think of it as such. It was why she had a gleeful expression on her face. As she accepted the offer, she hoped she didn't sound too anxious. Ranma gave her the information as to where to meet. Once she had that, she left, waltzing down the hallway. Once she was in the elevator, she realized she didn't know what to wear. Ranma didn't exactly tell her what type of restaurant they were going. Or maybe she was just not paying attention to him. All it meant now, she was going to have to find something to wear. Something to gain Ranma's attention.

* * *

"Where is she?" Ranma asked, worriedly looking down it his watch. It was 7:07 pm Macross time, and Nabiki had yet showed up. Granted so far it was only he and Rick sitting at a table for four at Fishers, a new seafood restaurant that just opened due to the fishery constructed to provide variety to the diet of the inhabitants of Macross.

"Why are you so worried?" asked Rick. This was supposed to be a party for his birthday. He liked the idea of coming to a seafood restaurant, since he hadn't had any fish since Minmei and he were lost. Unfortunately, two members of their party had yet to show up, Minmei, who was instrumental in this shindig, and Nabiki, Ranma's friend from Japan who he's seen occasionally with him.

It was kind of weird for him to see Ranma in a worried state. He'd figured that was something Ranma couldn't display. It wouldn't be hard or wrong for him to be in a constant worried state, considering Ranma's mother was in the line of fire in most of their battles. Rick would have understood. So what was it about this girl that caused this in Ranma?

"You got to understand," Ranma started. "Nabiki is a very punctual girl. She's the type of person that if she wants you here at a certain time, and you're late, you would have hell to pay."

"Ya know, she is liable to be late herself every once in a while," remarked Rick.

"Any other person, I'd say yeah. Any other time, I'd say yeah. But she was acting strange last night."

"And that's got you worried," Rick said with a chuckle.

This was so much like a movie he saw during that time Ranma was captured. He asked Ranma to explain how she was acting. As Ranma went into explanation, Rick shook his head in disbelief at hour similar the movie and this situation. He wondered if Ranma ignorant to the signals being sent out. In the movie the female lead had an unbelievable crush on the male lead, but he, too, couldn't recognize it until the end.

Then again, Ranma didn't have that much contact with the opposite sex, besides Nodoka, Minmei, and his crew chief. _And maybe Commander Hayes whenever she wasn't slapping him around._ Maybe he was naïve to the feelings of women. He did say he had spent ten years of his life on the road with his father, away from female contact.

"Has it ever occurred that she might have feelings for you?" asked Rick.

Ranma gave a scoffing laugh at the remark. It was obvious that Rick didn't know a thing about Nabiki, since she wasn't that type of person.

"There you guys are," announced the arrival of Nabiki.

The boys turned their heads to her. Ranma raised his eyebrows at her appearance. She wore a navy, forest, and yellow plaid skirt that went down to about an inch and a half above the knee, a white button-down shirt with a navy and yellow sweater vest on top, knee high white socks, and brown loafers. Also she had her hair back in a ponytail. All in all, Ranma thought it made her rather attractive.

"Sorry I'm late. This place is so new that it's not on the ship's locator. I had to ask for directions," she explained.

"I bet you hadn't thought about that?" Rick asked Ranma.

Nabiki was clueless by the comment, as she took the seat next to Rick, across from Ranma. Rick explained Ranma was wondering why she was late.

"Okay, so I didn't realize that not everybody knew where this place is," Ranma commented. He figured with this section being newly constructed, it would have a lot of foot traffic. However upon looking around, he noticed that this wasn't the most happening level in Macross City, which was probably why Minmei decided to come here.

"I didn't know about this place," replied Rick, having been led to the restaurant by Ranma. "Say, when do you think Minmei's gonna get here?"

While they discussed this, Nabiki went into her purse and pulled out an envelope. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks. I have to say, I like the Catholic schoolgirl look on you," Rick commented.

Nabiki took the compliment even though it wasn't exactly who she wanted it from. But she didn't have to wait long for that, as Ranma announced he was in agreement with Rick, though he didn't get the meaning behind Catholic schoolgirl.

Soon after, the final member of their party arrived, toting presents.

* * *

"I think you'll like this place," Claudia commented.

"I don't know. Though it's been awhile since I've had seafood," stated Lisa.

As of recent, it wasn't often that the two friends when out to eat, with Claudia hanging around Nodoka Hasegawa. So when Claudia asked if Lisa would like to join her for dinner, she jumped at the opportunity.

Lisa was overly eager for companionship. It just she felt left out of things amongst the other four that made up her bridge watch. Claudia was all about her pregnancy, once she got over the death of Roy Fokker. Kim Young was all about her sexual relationship with one of the pilots. Even Vanessa and Sammie were in some type of relationship (three guys between two girls). Sure it helped with her persona, but there was nothing for her but the SDF-1. The only four friends she had on the ship were all involved in their own lives. The only other person she might remotely want to spent time was Ranma Saotome, but she still had some guilt over causing his accident.

Plus there were latent feelings whenever his presence present.

So here the two were, an hour after the end of their shift, wearing civilian clothing, standing at the door to Fishers. Once inside, they were greeted by a hostess that asked if it was a party of two.

As they took their seats, and the hostess left, Claudia commented, "I remember when they asked smoking or non-smoking."

They laughed at that. Smoking on the SDF-1 was virtually non-existent. Not because it was against any laws, what few there were, but because those who did smoke had to give it up due to the lack of tobacco a few days into the journey home.

As customary for restaurants, their waitress was at their table before they had the chance to look at the menu. Since they weren't ready to order, she just took their drink order.

"I wonder they have mahi-mahi," Lisa stated as she glanced down at the menu.

"What?"

"You've never had mahi-mahi?"

Claudia shook head. Since she had never heard of it, she asked Lisa what exactly it was. Lisa's response wasn't quite what she wanted to convince her to try it. That is, if they had it.

"Like in Flipper," Claudia responded.

Lisa was clueless as to what Claudia was talking about. Claudia remembered that there was a difference in age between her and the twenty-year-old Lisa Hayes. Of course she wouldn't have any knowledge of the 60s TV show about a dolphin. Once Lisa understood what Claudia was getting at, she explained that there was also a fish that is named dolphin fish. At least that's how her father explained it to her when she was a kid.

"Besides, I think it's immoral to eat whales," Lisa finished.

Lisa felt fortunate that they indeed had it on the menu. So when their waitress came back with their drinks, she promptly ordered it baked. Not to feel like a chicken, Claudia ordered it, too. Only she asked for it grilled, simple because she preferred her fish grilled to fried or baked.

Once the waitress was gone, they sipped their beverages in silence. It was Claudia that broke the silence. "I'm sorry I haven't been around that much later."

"Oh, no problem. I completely understand. With the news of your baby and then the death of Roy, I understand that you needed time to yourself to sort things out."

"That's kind of you. Though it does seem that you've been rather to yourself lately." With Claudia being Lisa's closest friend, she knew this because Lisa threw herself into her work, a regression of how she was before being captured by the Zentraedi.

"Well there's nothing for me to do."

Claudia didn't want to hear that. She knew what there was to do in Macross City, before and after the jump. "That's why you need to explore. Join Sammie and the girls on their trips in the city."

Lisa didn't know what she meant by explore. It wasn't like she didn't know every square inch of the SDF-1. And how would joining the girls during their ventures into the city help? Besides she felt too old to be hanging around them. Claudia thought that was preposterous to hear Lisa say she was too old to hang out with Sammy, Kim and Vanessa, since they were virtually the same age. But Claudia realized that these were only excuses. It wasn't like she hadn't seen this before, especially when the gossip around the SDF-1 was Commander Hayes lived for nothing but the SDF-1. Of course at that time, there weren't plans on including a city in the belly of the space fortress.

Not wanting this to become a talk about her, Lisa changed the subject. "So do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," replied Claudia. "Though I have my first ultrasound tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find out."

"Shouldn't you have had that already?" Lisa asked, like she knew about the happenings of a pregnancy.

"Well, excuse me for being busy!" Claudia responded in mock anger.

Lisa realized this and started to laugh softly. Claudia joined her to prove that she was just playing.

"Well, what are you hoping for?" asked Lisa.

Claudia didn't care. Right now she was happy with having the baby of the man she'd loved. Lisa wanted to know if she at least thought of names. Claudia had at least put some thought into that. If it was a boy, she would name him after his father. If it was a girl, she would name her Achika.

"That's a beautiful name," Lisa replied. "Where did that come from?"

"It's a name from Roy's family. It was the name of their great aunt on their mother's side. She was Nodoka's great-great grandfather's youngest child. The weird thing was he preformed Roy's burial rites."

"He must be really old," commented Lisa.

"He sure didn't look it," replied Claudia. "Nodoka said that she was told that her aunt was the most beautiful girl in that prefecture, during the time she lived. It was tragic that she died of some unexplained illness some four years after giving birth to her only son."

"That's so sad."

"Well, Nodoka said that she had so much respect for an aunt that died not long after her birth-"

"Wait? I thought you said she was their great aunt."

"I guess the old man's quite virile because Achika died in 1980. But that's beside the point. What I was going to say was that Nodoka would have named Ranma after her if he turned out to be a girl."

"Oh!"

By this time their meals had arrived. One bite into her mahi-mahi, Claudia understood what Lisa was talking about. It was one of the better fish that she'd ever had. Lisa gave her one of those "I told you so" looks as she relished in the taste of her bake mahi-mahi.

While they ate, they heard an employee announced that it was someone birthday. Then, like in all restaurants, the wait staff proceeded to sing their birthday song to the person.

"You know, I've never had that done to me," commented Lisa, remembering that she hadn't been able to celebrate her last two birthdays.

Claudia liked it when the restaurants serenaded you on your birthday. She looked around to see who was the lucky person. Who did she find but Ranma sitting with Rick, Minmei and Nabiki. It was hard to guess whose birthday it was. She knew Ranma's in January, and everyone knew Minmei's was in October.

"Say, why don't we go over there and tell Lt. Hunter happy birthday?" Claudia asked, while waving at the table to get their attention.

Lisa didn't think that was a good idea, especially since she didn't really know Rick. She'd much preferred that they didn't notice Claudia's waving since this was supposed to be a dinner between friends. Unfortunately that wasn't the case as Ranma made his way over to their table. "Aunt Claudia. Lisa. What are you two doing here?" Ranma asked. Claudia was smitten when he first called her Aunt Claudia after finding out about the baby.

"We're here to have dinner," Claudia stated as if it was an obvious answer.

The obvious answer made Ranma feel like an idiot. "W-Well, I d asked if you like to join us, but we're about to go to this place that Minmei says she doesn't get bother all that often."

Claudia instantly came up with an idea. "Say, Lisa, why don't you join them?"

Lisa quickly shot her an 'Are you out of your mind' look.

"I mean you were saying you didn't have anything to do these days."

"I don't remember saying that."

"Ah, come on, Lisa, I bet it would fun doing the town with the ship's idol plus two handsome pilots."

Lisa wasn't wearing something appropriate for something like that, just a simple blouse/skirt combination. Realizing that she wasn't going to get out of it, Lisa agreed to join, but before Ranma added the addendum that if she didn't like it, she was free to head back to the base.

* * *

Max was out in Macross City with a former teammate, Edward Wood, who, for all purposes, served as Ben's replacement. It wasn't meant to be that way, but Edward knew that to be a fact.

"Say, didn't you say today was Lt. Hunter's birthday?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. Why do you ask, Woody?"

"Well did you guys thrown him the traditional pilot's birthday party?"

Max was clueless by what he meant by that. Of course he wouldn't since Edward was older and, one of the few original RDF pilots from the jump.

Before he could say anything, they were past by a most incredible looking woman, wearing a frilly white shirt with a purple vest, purple slacks that were tight, so tight that it looked like they were painted on, and boots to match. But what was most striking was her green hair. It was just exotic looking on her.

Unfortunately, before either one moved to follow and possibly ask a question, she was gone. The two looked at each other and asked, "Who was that!"

* * *

The music was blaring loudly in the dance club that Minmei took them. Out on the dance floor, Minmei, Rick, and Nabiki were having a good time. At least Ranma could tell that Minmei and Nabiki were having a good time. Rick was probably enjoying his time. He saw Minmei truly happy for the first time since before returning home. He watched various men come up to dance with Nabiki, only to see her spurn them away after one dance.

He did this from the luxury of the table they'd commandeered upon entering the club. He wasn't into dancing. There were no martial arts involved, so it was useless to him, at least in his mind. That's not to say he hadn't danced since they arrived, though they were two forced dances with Minmei and Nabiki. He sat and watched the other people dance to their hearts content.

Lisa sat at the table, looking very miserable. She didn't want to be there. She hadn't been on the dance floor, and the few guys that had actually come over to ask for one were quickly given the cold shoulder. Ranma was beginning to think that it wasn't a good idea to bring her because Lisa was having as worst of a time as him.

Scooting over so to be heard over the music, Ranma said, "I don't mind if you want to leave, Lisa."

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm just fine."

"Ah, come on. You're having as bad of a time as me. And you weren't forced to go out there."

_Well, maybe she's been waiting for someone to ask her out there_, Lisa's subconscious said.

"I'm just not into dancing. But I do like observing the interaction of the other people on this ship. It's much different than the military."

_This girl truly is all soldier_, Ranma thought.

"They're just so carefree with life. Never worrying that today might be their last."

That last part sounded a bit morbid to Ranma. So he decided to go for cheery. "Ya know you can be carefree yourself. Just look at Rick."

They looked out onto the dance floor and saw him doing some type of dance with Minmei. One thing, it surprised Ranma how people didn't crowd all over his sister, considering she was the biggest thing this side of the sun.

Ranma continued, "And to prove my point, how able going out there with me."

Lisa was torn between ecstatic and shocked. Ecstatic that he actually asked her. Shocked because she knew he couldn't dance. She'd seen it herself. This would lead to embarrassment. She knew that she would never do such a thing if that was the consequence. Then she thought that maybe he was doing this to cheer her up. If so, this would be the kindest thing she'd had happen to her. She couldn't possibly refuse such a gesture.

The two made their way to the dance floor. The music was very up tempo, so Ranma thought he'd be able to do this, unlike when Nabiki dragged him up for a slow dance. Unfortunately for the two, not knowing the song, as soon as they stepped on the floor, the up tempo song ended, and a slow song began. The two looked at each other, unsure if they wanted to still continue. They stood there until Ranma made the move to start dancing.

_Okay, right hand on shoulder, left on the waist_, he thought, watching the various couples.

When Ranma made contact with Lisa, she put herself in position for the dance, knowing them from the many dances during her time at the academy. (Something quite awkward for someone 12-15 when everybody else is 18-22.) When they started dancing, they stayed at arms length, swaying side to side, moving in a circle. As the song continued, they moved closer, to the point Lisa's head ended up on Ranma's shoulder. Ranma became rigid the second he felt it, but quickly relaxed as they continued.

When the song ended, they separated as quickly as possible. Then Ranma removed himself from the dance floor, followed by Lisa. She thanked him for the dance and promptly left. Ranma was perplexed by this as he made his way back to the table.

He was greeted by Nabiki with, "Did you like your dance?" It was said with a hint of venom that he didn't understand.

Rick and Minmei didn't understand what she was talking about. When they got off the floor at the beginning of the song, they didn't see Ranma and Lisa on the dance floor. Always observant, Nabiki saw the two making their way to the floor while she was getting a drink from the bar.

Ranma sat back at the table, ignoring the question. "You guys seemed to be havin' a good time," he said.

Rick was set to respond when right in front of his eyes, Ranma suddenly shrunk, and his hair changed color. The first thing he thought was he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was truly awake because he knew he wasn't drunk. He wasn't drinking. When he looked at Ranma again, it was still the same image. Rick thought that he now looked like a girl, slightly reminiscent of Ranko Hasegawa. Then Ranma spoke in anger that was reflected in his facial expression, and the tone of his voice had changed too.

"Are you all right, Rick?" asked Minmei. She said it like she was totally oblivious to what Rick just saw.

"I don't know," Rick replied hesitantly. "I think I'm seein' things."

"Ranma, I thought you were telling people about this," Nabiki commented.

"No, I never said that. Claudia wanted me to inform the people in command, like Captain Gloval," stated the person that was suppose to be Ranma, his friend and his commanding officer. "Besides, it's not like Rick hasn't seen me like this before."

Rick was confused. Then Ranma told him that he was Ranko Hasegawa.

"Right, you're Ranko Hasegawa. Ranko Hasegawa is a girl."

"That's right. And right now I am a girl." Then Ranma explained the situation, as it looked like that was going to be the only way out of this. Once she was done, it was like there was a little weight lifted off her shoulder.

Rick's mouth was gaping open at this revelation. First of all, Ranma just told him that he could turn into a girl. Secondly, one of fantasies had just been destroyed. It was just wrong.

"But what about the cold showers we were subjected to during training?" Rick asked. "You never turned then."

"Well, I have no explanation why my curse has become selective as to when it activates. I can only say that mostly it happens whenever my mother or Minmei are around."

After taking a second to grasp what was being said, Rick wanted to know more. Unfortunately he was going to have to wait on it as Nabiki drug Ranma back on the dance floor.

* * *

Later that night, Ranma took Nabiki back to the White Dragon. As they walked in silence, she couldn't believe how different this part of Macross City looked at this time of night. It was virtually deserted. No car on the street. Not a soul in sight. It was much different than the level the night club was on.

They weren't far from the White Dragon when Nabiki broke the silence. "You should have seen the look on Rick's face."

"How could I when I was trying to wipe your drink off me?"

"Hey, I said I'm sorry," Nabiki replied, sounding very much apologetic. "How was I supposed to know it would make you change? I still can't believe you couldn't change back."

Ranma realized that this was probably the first time she'd changed on the ship while in the presence of Nabiki. So she explained that somehow her curse was affected by her presence on the fortress. In the past, it meant she'd have to stay female for at least a day but no longer than a week.

Nabiki had a laugh at the thought of Ranma having to stay female for a week and not having it caused by the Amazons. "Well, I bet those guys at the club liked the show you gave."

Ranma glared her for that comment.

"With all that bouncing on the dance floor, I'm sure some of them left with pleasant visions to add to their spank banks."

"But I still surprised Rick never figured it out," Ranma added. "It's not like we didn't give him a hint."

"What do you mean?"

"Hasegawa is my family name. Rick is a close friend of the family since it was his father that taught Uncle Roy how to fly."

"Maybe he didn't catch the reference."

"Or maybe he just chose to ignore them, like Akane."

Nabiki instantly wanted to know what she meant by that. But Ranma was saved by their arrival in front of the White Dragon.

"Well, here we are."

Nabiki looked up and said, "Yeah, here we are." She was saddened that their date was now at an end. Ranma didn't catch the change in her tone. She went to the door and said, "Thank you for the fun time."

"Awe, it was really nothing," commented Ranma.

"Well, it was something to me." With the end of the comment, she bent down and kissed Ranma full on the lips. Separating after thirty seconds, she went inside, saying good night as the kiss signified the end of their first date.

Ranma stared the door, trying to figure out what just happened. And why would Nabiki kiss her in the first place?

* * *

Author's note:

The purpose of this chapter was to let Rick find out about Ranma's condition, as this is the part of the story were those who needed to know would find out. I hadn't truly planned out how Rick would react, just how it would become to be.

Oh, this was also to progress both Lisa's and Nabiki's relationship.


	18. 2011 revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 18: 2011

* * *

It was the beginning of 2011, and everything seemed to be going fine for Lynn Minmei. She was coming off of a year in which she saw her dreams come true. Actually it started in late 2009 and rolled through 2010, in which she was crowned Miss Macross in the first annual Miss Macross Pageant (which wasn't held last year). That led to a recording contract, of which she recorded two albums. From that it led to many singing engagements beginning with her debut in March. And that led to her making a movie.

Her private life was doing just as well as her professional life. She had that the family that was very supportive in his big brother, Ranma, and his mother, Nodoka. And she felt she was developing something special with a handsome guy that saved her life the day they met.

So why was she out on the balcony during the pre-premiere party looking sad and tired?

Her dream of being an idol had come true. Unfortunately it was for a spaceship instead of the nation of Japan, meaning she was still unknown to those off this ship. And the schedule involved was not what she wanted. She had to be what her fans wanted her to her 24/7/365. And developing something special wasn't progressing quite as she wished. She thought things might be on track after Rick Hunter came to her hospital room after she fainted on the last day of shooting. However he was still seeing that "bridge bunny."

Minmei's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a female voice, saying, "Ooooh, Minmei!" She heard her name called out a second time before turning to see who it was, as the voice appeared to be approaching her. Lucky she turned in time to avoid some purple liquid flying at her. With reflexes instilled by Ranma, Minmei twisted away the liquid, which ended up splashing on the balcony and missed her green, full-length dress and its accompanied yellow sheer cape.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," commented Jan Morris. With an empty martini glass in her hand, it was easily determined that the red dress wearing blonde was the culprit. The Hollywood star was one of many celebrities on Macross Island for the celebrations of the launch of the SDF-1 two years ago. Now she was just another entertainer at another party seeking to keep whatever was remaining of her popularity, especially after losing the Miss Macross pageant.

"I wouldn't want ruin that beautiful dress," she continued. "Especially in front of all these people."

Jan was interrupted from further commenting more when she heard her name. Both ladies turned to see a rotund gentleman with glasses and a mustache. This was Jan Morris's manager and husband. He was also a fan of Minmei and wished she was one of his clients.

Still angered that Minmei "stole" what was rightfully hers, Jan rushed to him and led him away from Minmei, informing him that she was just talking with her.

With Jan Morris gone, Minmei returned her gaze out onto the city of Macross, high up in Hotel Continental but below her penthouse. Her thoughts were once again interrupted. This time it was by her manager, Vance Hasselwood.

"Minmei, there you are," he said as he came up on her. He glanced at her sullen expression and wondered what could possibly be wrong. In a day's time, she was going to be bigger than big. She was set to be the biggest star in the universe. "And you'll be able to get anything you want," Vance concluded.

Minmei's eyes sparkled upon hearing that. "Anything?"

"Yeah, anything."

"Then do you think you could get one seat in the front row for tomorrow's opening?"

Vance was aghast by such a request. Not in the fact that she made it. He already had two tickets waiting at will call for her brother and his mother. This was more. Those other tickets just allowed the pair to get in. Minmei wanted a ticket for the front row, and the front row was all sold out. However Minmei was his client.

Minmei turned back to the skyline with a smile on her face. If Vance could do this, she was sure that Rick would appreciate it. She wasn't sure if he hadn't already gotten a ticket for the premiere, but she knew that if he took her ticket he wouldn't be sitting with the other woman.

It was moment later when Minmei felt an arm drape over her shoulder. Her first impulse was to shrug it off and slap whoever was bold enough to do that. But she stopped herself in mid shrug when she realized that it was just her cousin, Kyle.

"Kyle," she said in a childish voice reserved for a select few.

"What! Is it wrong to come over to comfort my favorite cousin?"

Minmei commented that it wasn't wrong before remarking she was his only cousin. Then she laughed as she realized what he was doing. Kyle would always make that comment whenever he tried to change her mood, to much the same reaction.

"So what's got you down?" he asked.

Minmei told him it was nothing. It was a matter she didn't want to tell Kyle. Kyle asked her again because the Minmei he knew was always cheerful. Along with some other information, he was told by her agent that Minmei didn't appear too cheery. With Ranma Saotome not present, it appeared most opportune to provide the consoling shoulder.

Unfortunately Minmei wasn't as cooperative as he hoped. This made him wished for the time before Ranma came into the picture, when he was the one that she would convey her troubles. Unfortunately that was over seven years ago (thanks to his parents dragging him to Macross Island).

Since he couldn't console her, he told her it was time for her to leave the party. Minmei said she couldn't leave the party yet because she was waiting on Vance to give her a reply. Kyle quickly responded Vance had told him that she had seat A5 for whomever it was that she wanted the seat for. Minmei was immediately happy but thought it was rather convenient for her cousin to have this info. So she didn't readily believe him and thought it was a ploy to get her to left the party. It took Kyle calling Vance on his cell to finally convince her.

* * *

The guard of one of the male barracks was spending yet another night of boredom. With the entire ship buzzing in anticipation of _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson!_, he hated being stuck at the desk. There were parties going on all over the ship because of this event. It was not every day that a movie made on a spaceship premiered. His only satisfaction was knowing he wasn't the only one who had to suffer.

The soldier scanned through a sports magazine made specifically for those on the SDF-1, which came in the latest supply shipment from Earth. Even though relations where strained between the SDF-1 and the UEDC, the United Earth Government was forced to allow for the occasional supply ships up to the fortress, especially now that it was known to the world that the civilians of Macross Island were living on it. He was reading about the 2009-2010 Barclays Premier League season when the desk phone rang. Since most people had cell phones, the only time the phone rang was a call from HQ.

He answered the phone, and a female voice on the other end asked for Lieutenant Hunter. He checked the computer to see if Lt. Hunter had checked in, but it showed that he was part of the escort for the supply shipment. The lady sounded rather disappointed to hear that. Nevertheless, she left a message that seat A5 was reserved for him for tomorrow's premiere. When he asked for a name, she left him with Min.

When the phone call was over, the guard thought Lt. Hunter was a lucky dog. Tomorrow's show had been sold out since the date of the premiere was announced, and to get a front row seat, you really had to be someone important.

A few hours later, Rick walked past the guard, acknowledging him as he always had. He headed to his room to prepare for his two-day pass. Tomorrow he was going to spend in bed, by himself. The day after he was going to see _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson!_ with the girls. Before he made it to his room, he was stopped and told by the guard that a lady named Min called. It took Rick an instant to realize who it was. Without waiting to find out if there was a message, he ran out to a payphone, forgetting about his cell in his room. He called up the penthouse but didn't get an answer. Not even the voice mail. Hanging up the phone, he walked back in, wondering what it was that Minmei wanted.

He was at the elevator before thinking that Minmei might have left a message. To the front desk he returned. A message he received. He was elated to learn that Minmei had gotten him a ticket for the premiere. He would definitely have to thank her for it.

* * *

Miriya walked down the streets of Macross in her search for the pilot that had twice bested her. She had been on the SDF-1 for five months and had yet found him. Her problem was she had no idea what the pilot looked like. Originally she thought this self appointed assignment would be easy. She expected to see some type of tribute with the ace's face on it. With that she would have hunted him down and killed him.

Unfortunately she was thinking in terms of the type of warfare in the Zentraedi's quadrant of the universe. She was beginning to learn that the same thing didn't go on this battle fortress. She was also beginning to learn how annoying Micronian males were. Always following her around, telling her that she looked hot (though her body temperature always remained the same) and asking her out on something they called a date (whatever that may be).

As she made her way, Miriya began to feel that her luck could be changing. What could possibly give her that impression? Could it possibly be from the long lines that suddenly appeared leading to a theatre? If so, she needed to get in there any way possible. This could be the opportunity she's been waiting for.

As it meant she needed to get into the theatre, she barged her way into the line, not knowing that a ticket was required. As Miriya shoved her way through the line, she failed to pay attention to the people she displaced, like the red-haired woman and black-haired man. Though there was an obvious family resemblance, one might have guessed the two were siblings. In reality it was a mother with a son seventeen year younger than her, but one couldn't tell since the thirty-five year old Nodoka Hasegawa looked more like a woman in her mid twenties. She still hadn't been able to explain how her appearance seemed to become more youthful overnight during her first few weeks of space, but she wasn't complaining, not with the many men that had asked her out on dates.

Her son, Ranma Saotome, looked very much like the eighteen-year-old man though didn't act like one. Unlike most eighteen year olds, he commanded hundreds of pilots. Most eighteen year olds were out dating, trying to find the right mate. This eighteen year old had already had several "engagements," one broken engagement and a broken heart, which took him off the dating market. This was why the son was taking the mother to the movies.

"Well, that woman is certainly rude," Nodoka commented, as she watched Miriya proceed deeper into the line.

"Maybe there's someone further up in line, mom," Ranma replied.

Ranma wore his usual red Chinese silk shirt, but since he could no longer find the right black pants, he had on a pair of straight-cut jeans his mother bought for Christmas. He was still getting use to the feel of blue jeans, since they didn't have the same range of movement. Nodoka wore blue jeans and a polo shirt. Of mother and son, she was the one that change their wardrobe the most. There was something about being in space that helped liberate the traditionalist in Nodoka. Since the day of the miscalculated hyperspace fold jump, she rarely touched the kimonos that she packed for the week trip that this was supposed to be. Instead she wore blouses, polos, t-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, dresses, skirts, and the occasional miniskirt. The miniskirts aided her in rediscovering her sexuality (and sex drive). They also provided some humor, for whenever Ranma was in one of those "stuck in female form" times, she would always use the opportunity to her "daughter" out window shopping and have her try them on. She knew how much Ranma preferred to not try on the miniskirt, especially when receiving cat calls or the double-take glances from the observant male shoppers. However with all the responsibility in Ranma's lap, this was a mother's way of providing a break from the grime of being a soldier.

"Even if there is, she could have just phoned them to tell them to meet her in the lobby," she said.

Ranma couldn't say anything but agree with her. With this the only showing today, he knew the girl was lucky to get a ticket. He couldn't believe how quickly the first showing sold out. He was fortunate that as Minmei's "self-declared" guardian, Nodoka was able to get two. There were people he knew that didn't get one and had to wait until tomorrow, including Nabiki, which was strange considering she said she was in the movie.

Further up in the line stood Maximilian Sterling. He was also one of the fortunate few to get a ticket for the first showing. Fortunate in the fact that the day tickets went on presale, it was a day that he had off, so he could stand in line. He wasn't by himself. He was accompanied by his latest girlfriend, Jaime Dixon, and Lt.(jg) Edward Wood.

"I can't believe how many people are out here to see this," Jaime stated, scanning the crowd.

"Well, Minmei is the most popular girl on the SDF-1," replied Edward.

So popular, the movie was not premiering at the singular movie theatre but at **THE** theatre. With close to a hundred thousand on board the SDF-1, the higher ups decided to allow the most they could to the opening. Thus _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson! _would have its first showing at the thousand seat theatre that was mostly used to hold plays, the new orchestra, and some of Minmei's taped performances.

"I wonder how it feels to be that popular?" asked Jaime.

"I can ask her if you like," Max announced.

That garnered some gasps from his companions. They didn't believe that Max could just go and ask Minmei how it felt to be popular. However they didn't know of the relationship between the CAG and the ship's idol. Any explanation was soon muted as the standing crowd went into an uproar.

A limo drove down the street, making its way to the theatre, and everybody knew who it could possibly be. It pulled to a stop besides the red carpet, and out popped Kyle, looking stylishly handsome in a tuxedo, and Minmei, looking stunning in a duplicate of the dress she wore the night before. Once out, Kyle held Minmei's hand, and they walked down the carpet, occasionally stopping for photographs. They looked very much like the couple that the rumor mill started producing.

The theatre filled up within a half hour of the two stars entering the building. It took that long for the people to find their seats. For many this was the first time that they had ever been in the theatre. For Max and his friends, they made their way over to bank of seats to the right, where they sat in middle row. Nodoka and Ranma had a better view of the screen, as their seats were in the center section, towards the lower half, close to the center of the theatre. But of them all, Rick had the best seat, up in the front row. If his two friends had known about his seat, they would have been jealous. As it was, neither Ranma nor Max knew he was there since he had told them of his inability to acquire opening night tickets.

There was an additional fifteen minutes before the festivities officially started. The MC, the same one who did the Miss Macross Pageant, came out and asked the crowd if they were ready to see the film. With a boisterous applause, he brought Kyle and Minmei out on stage. The cheers were even louder than those of when they pulled up to the theatre.

Upon stepping onto the stage, Minmei looked out into the crowd to see if her tickets were being used. She had to search hard in order to find her surrogate family, eventually finding the red-haired woman sitting next to the guy with a red shirt. She brought her gaze down to the first row, and sure enough, there was Rick Hunter sitting in the seat that she'd gotten reserved. A big smile came across her face. The crowd went wild, thinking it was a smile of appreciation.

A pre-showing interview took place. First was Kyle, who was most appreciative to make the movie and hope the people liked it. He was given a generous applause. The MC moved to Minmei and asked for her thought about making the movie.

"It was beyond my wildest dreams. I can't wait to make another."

"What is it that you want to the audience to get from this film?" was the follow up question. Minmei's response was that she hoped the audience would enjoy it. That got the same generous applause as Kyle.

Out in the crowd, Ranma gave a disgusting frown. It appeared the MC's sole job was to pump their egos. In a way, this was the pot calling the kettle black, since not long ago, Ranma did most anything for the ego boost.

Back to the stage, the MC stated that Minmei would debut her new single. This was what set the premiere apart from the other showings. It was the sole reasons that tickets sold like hotcakes.

"Yeah. It's a song off my soon to be release album. And it's also the song at the end of the movie."

With that, Minmei was given the stage all to herself. After a few seconds of the opening music, she started to sing.

"Yeah, Yeah  
Let me be with you  
Yeah, Yeah

To make sure the two of us meet, I cast a spell  
Our hands are gently touch, and then look at me smile  
We pretend not to realize how we really feel  
And suddenly, we fell in love..."

When Minmei was finished, she moved off stage and the movie started.

_It opens up to a partly cloudy sky. Then the picture drops down and pans out to reveal what appears to be a typical Japanese town. The scene moves over the rooftops until things stop and focus on a yellow-orange shirt hanging on a clothesline. A zoom out from that reveals a young woman hanging a circular object onto the same line. Hanging from that object are her panties and bras._

For most there, this seemed to be the weirdest thing, but for Nodoka, Ranma, and the few that migrated to Macross Island from Japan, it was rather normal (confirming that the movie was set in Japan).

_The scene continues with the woman stepping away from the window and moving into her apartment, only to stop upon hearing a noise coming from said window. Turning, she sees a small person, wearing a purplish brown martial arts uniform with a deep purple cloth tied on its head in an attempt to conceal the face. This character is holding on to a pair of the woman's panties, now the only pair left, and smiling. With a shriek, the scene changes to the figure hopping away, happily, with a greenish bag on its back, followed by the circular object the woman throws at him._

For Ranma, this character seemed strangely familiar.

* * *

The people in the theatre weren't the only ones watching the movie at that time. As the transmission made its way into deep space, it was picked up by the Zentraedi fleet, up in higher lunar orbit. One person that was particular interested in the show was Breetai. After viewing the transvid of Khyron's attack within the atmosphere of the Micronian homeworld, Dolza sent Breetai back out, having lost confidence in Azonia since she was unable to control those under her command (i.e. four different, unwarranted offensives- three from Khyron and one by Miriya, who afterwards asked to become a micronized spy). As part of the agreement, Breetai allowed to return to the system with the one million warships of the Imperial Fleet. He returned on the same day the SDF-1 launched back into space, much to the dislike of Azonia and disgust of Khyron.

"Exactly what are we looking at?" asked Breetai, as he watched the small Micronian get hit by what he learnt was called a car.

"I believed it to be a Micronian battle record, Lord Breetai," replied Exedore.

Elsewhere on Breetai's flagship, another group of Zentraedi paid attention to the broadcast. But this group did not view it with the same mindset. This group consisted of the ordinary Zentraedi soldier, but among them were the three former micronized spies, Rico, Konda, and Bron. It was these three that made the rest of this group interested in Micronian culture. After their return and debriefing before Breetai and Exedore, they led groups upon groups into a room where they stored much of the Micronian items they'd acquired and had hidden from their commander.

"What is it that they're doing?" asked a curly redhead named Reya.

On the screen was Lynn Kyle, dressed in a long sleeve red shirt and black pants, holding the small character while standing on a clothesline full of clothes. Two of the three had no clue, umming and awwing their answers. Fortunate for them, Bron did know, thus saving his companions by telling the group that this was called tight rope walking. The reason Bron knew about this was because of the festival after the SDF-1 returned Earth. A Tightrope walker did a demonstration, since she had been one of many entertainers on Macross Island at the time of the initial attack.

They were all intrigued by this for one second, for the next second Lynn Minmei appeared on the screen. She looked slightly different than the doll that the spies had acquired because she had short hair, something the spies never saw. They were all captivated by her looks and the strength she displayed when she lifted the line, which flung Kyle and the other being into the air.

However what happened next stunned all that watched. When Kyle fell back to Earth, he landed in a small body of water surrounded by rocks. It seemed very opportune that there was this water there. When Kyle surfaced, it wasn't Kyle at all. It was a girl with brown hair styled the same as Kyle, wearing the same clothes as Kyle. For those who were slow, they waited for Kyle to surface. But for Zentraedi like Breetai and Exedore, they realized quickly something major had happened. The Micronians just showed themselves as being capable of changing their sex.

Breetai and Exedore continued to watch as they tried to add this to their comprehension of the Micronians. It suddenly made sense when that Micronian female claimed she was the commander of those two Micronian males, especially since she could change into a male. As they watched, they found out about more of the Micronian capabilities, such as changing into other creatures (cats and pigs), could sprout wings where the feathers looked like swords, and camouflage themselves in things as small as a sign.

* * *

Ranma wanted to crawl out of the build and get away. He couldn't believe part of his life in Nerima was on display for all of Macross City to see. And it was one of his more embarrassing moments during his time there. It was the time that Akane was kidnap, and there was nothing he could have done to stop it. Sure Akane had been kidnapped many times while he lived with the Tendos, but this was the only time it happened when he was around to stop it. It was the time she was kidnapped by Kirin of the Seven Lucky God Martial Artists of Nekonron, China. That same Kirin was close to marrying his fiancé. The only thing that stopped him from leaving at the beginning was his mother. For one thing she never knew about this. Another she felt he would be perfectly safe since the characters' names were Nakata and Ami.

* * *

Breetai and Exedore continued watching the battle record and were quite confused about the type of battle. Throughout the entire thing, there had yet to be a full blown battle. There had only been brief skirmishes, if one could call them that. However it was quite interesting how only selected Micronians could shift forms.

Currently they watched the main Micronian male avoid huge, round objects that were falling out of the sky.

"Do you have any idea what's going on here?" Breetai asked.

"I'm sorry, Lord Breetai, but there is nothing in the data we've collected to explain," replied Exedore.

There were more questions that Breetai wanted to ask. Questions like why it was so important for these Micronians to chase after this particular female Micronian? What special power did she hold that made the other come for her? What special power did she hold over the male Micronians that made them risk their lives for a prisoner of war?

Thoughts of rescuing a prisoner of war sounded foreign to him because there were so many of their race that they were expendable. Though the true reason was a Zentraedi would sooner sacrifice him/herself than be captured.

Into his thoughts, Breetai was blind to the happenings. That was until energy came spewing forth from the hands of two of the Micronian males. Shocked, he jumped out of his seat, wanting to know about what he just saw. If it was what he thought it was, the Micronians were more dangerous than he previously believed. If it was what he thought it was, he now had hard proof that the Micronians had knowledge of Protoculture.

* * *

All in all, it appeared to be a good film, though too painful for Ranma. He just couldn't take seeing Minmei wearing an exact replica of the wedding dress Kirin had her wear. He missed the final battle between Kirin and him. He missed the rescue from the whirlpool. He missed when Kirin realized that Lychee was the princess for him. But he didn't have to see them, as he lived it. What he did miss was a kiss shared between Kyle and Minmei's character. That kiss never took place since he never kissed Akane until her wedding day.

By the time that happened, he had left his mother to watch the rest and was in the lobby with his head down, wanting an explanation from Nabiki as to why she told the producers that tale. That adventure held a special place in his heart, as it was the first time he took to heart that Akane was his fiancée, not using it as a reason to become angry.

So focused, Ranma failed to notice a table in the lobby until he stumbled over it. Though with his skill, it was nothing to regain his balance. He regained his composure and acted like nothing had happened. All the cool that he tried to convey quickly went out the window when he turned to continue walking into a woman. He realized that it was a woman because his hands instinctively went to the chest and felt a woman's breast. He quickly removed his hand off the woman's breast, hoping that she hadn't noticed. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough, as a feminine hand caught him by the wrist.

"I can't believe you, Lt. Saotome," came a voice that was rather familiar to him. As it should have since it was always the same person whenever he happened to do something that would be considered perverted. Commander Lisa Hayes.

"Lisa, what's the problem?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You have some nerve to ask," Lisa retorted, obviously angry. "And I was beginning to think better of you."

It was then that they noticed that they were drawing a crowd. They were in the middle of the lobby, surrounded by people who were leaving the theatre early themselves. There were voices of people (mostly men) that backed Lisa's anger. Before she could continue to speak her, uninterrupted, she led Ranma out of the theatre and in between some buildings. "I thought you were one of the nice guys. I honestly began to believe that time you looked up my skirt, the time you groped my breast, the other time you groped my breasts, and the time you squeezed my ass were all mistakes. But here you are groping my breast again. What is it with you?"

"Wait a minute! I've only looked up your skirt and touched your breast," Ranma replied. "When the hell did I do the other stuff?"

Unfortunately she was unable to defend herself as klaxons started blaring throughout the entire ship. That meant only one thing. They were under another attack. Lisa immediately took off running. If they were under attack, her place was on the bridge.

"Lisa, where are you goin'?" Ranma asked.

The answer was quite obvious. But she indulged him with an answer. What she wasn't expecting was for him to tell her that it would take too long. Lisa didn't trust what he said. Unfortunately she would never have the chance to challenge him as the surface beneath their feet started to shake.

"We have to get moving," Lisa stated.

"I know that already." It's not like Ranma wasn't needed in Skull One at the moment.

"I mean we really need to move."

An explanation as to why was soon given as the portion of the ship they stood on shot up into the air. It signaled the beginning of the SDF-1 transformation from space-faring mode to attack mode. And the two RDF officers were knocked to ground by the momentum of the portion moving to get into position.

When it stopped, Ranma realized that he was so high up that roof jumping was deemed impossible. What he did know was they needed to get off this portion. There was no knowledge if this was its final resting place.

"C'mon, let's go." He started walking, not even knowing if Lisa was following.

"Where to?" Lisa asked, obviously following.

"I don't know. But I sure they're some type of access ports to get up to these portions if it was deemed that repairs are needed. So we'll just one and get to where we need to be."

* * *

From their private box, Minmei and Kyle rushed down the stairs to make their way to the closest shelter. Minmei led the way since she had to know where the closest shelters were in relations to the various entertainment venues. Kyle didn't mind it one bit though was upset at the timing of the Zentraedi attack. He was just set to make an unhealthy move on Minmei. Unhealthy in the sense Minmei was his first cousin. But could that really matter when your cousin grew up to become as hot as Minmei? And just maybe he could get a chance with her friend, the hot Ranko Hasegawa. Though he still couldn't understand why some people called her Ranma.

But that was put on hold as they ran out the exit and down more stairs to get to the shelters.

When Minmei finally reached street level, the street split open up since it was marked indicating its involvement in the transformation. Because of her momentum, Minmei started to fall right in, screaming, realizing that this was her last moments of life. And then she stopped, rather abruptly, when someone grabbed her arm. It was much like the last time when she was saved by Rick. Since Rick was in the audience, she looked up and thought he had it once again. Unfortunately when her vision cleared up, Minmei saw that it was actually Kyle. Her smile and elation quickly disappeared, as she realized the likelihood Rick even knew she'd escaped this way.

For Kyle, it was disheartening when Minmei called out another guy's name as she held on to his arm. Especially as the guy was his competition and the guy had another girl in his pocket. As Minmei held on to him and cried into his shoulder, he realized that he was going to have to do something so that guy stayed with the other girl. And he would get Minmei...and her friend, Ranko.

* * *

For fifteen minutes, Ranma and Lisa walked the labyrinth Macross City became. They finally came to a stop because of a dead end. Their only possible exit was taken away when a bulkhead slid into place behind them, completing the transformation.

"Oh, this is just great," Lisa huffed. "C'mon, let's go, he says. There are access ports, he says. WELL THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY ACCESS PORTS HERE!"

"Something tells me you might be upset," quipped Ranma.

He received a very spiteful glare in return. "Did I **NOT** mention that I needed to get to the bridge?"

Ranma could see the argument starting and turned back on Lisa. "Do you think I want to lost? It's not like you are the only one that needed to be somewhere!"

"Oh, it's not like one pilot is going to make a difference. We have tons of them if you care to remember. Not like they'll miss a eighteen year old perverted hotshot who thinks he's all that."

"Not like they'll miss a twenty year old biddy whose sole purpose in life is to service a ship. And it appears you ain't too important to even do that."

"You take that back!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Why? Tell me, if you're so important, why did the ship transform without you on the bridge?"

Lisa gasped at how true the statement was. She turned away, muttering something about Sammie's impatience. Then she came back with, "The same could be said with you. I mean you're the commander of the fighter wing and all."

Ranma agreed with her. He should have gone to the _Prometheus_. But unlike Lisa, he was confident that his second in command could do the job until such time he made it to the aircraft carrier.

That was the last thing said for the next fifteen minutes. The silence was broken when Ranma stated how it felt like they were back in Zentraedi captivity, only without the view. That got him laughing. It also got Lisa laughing. Ranma looked at her, saw the smile that went with her laugh, and thought of how cute it made her look. _What is it about smiles that make girls look cute?_ he asked himself. All the girls he'd allowed to be close to him had such a smile. Though each was cute, they meant something different to him subconsciously. Minmei's gave him a sense of brotherly pride. Akane's smile allowed him to see something beyond the uncute tomboy. Ukyo's enhanced what was already cute. He wasn't really sure about Shampoo since she already was a knockout. Nabiki's was something recent and showed she wasn't coldhearted. Kasumi's smile was special because it was warm and kind and would lead any guy having a crush on her. As for seeing Lisa's smile, it made her look cute and not the commanding figure she portrayed, but he shouldn't think of her like that. She outranked him, even if his position was higher in the command structure.

Lisa stopped laughing and admitted something that Ranma wasn't expecting. "Okay, maybe I overreacted at the theatre. But you have to admit, Ranma, the three times something like that has happened to me, you were the cause."

"Well those first two, I will admit, I could have prevented. But this last one definitely was an accident," Ranma stated. After a brief moment of silence, Ranma went on to add, "By the way, why were you there? You don't seem like the type to see an action movie."

When he didn't receive a response, he started making up with excuses to garner a reaction. That's what he got when he referred to the guys in the film. That was all fine with him, as long as it wasn't Kyle. To his surprise, it was to his name, which got a reaction that Ranma didn't want. Sometimes he wished he wasn't so good at reading people. Nevertheless, he asked what was so special about him.

"He reminds me so much of my first love."

"Sorry to hear that," Ranma replied with distain. "Kyle is as big of a pervert as there ever was."

Lisa was confused as to why Ranma would call him a pervert. What could have Kyle done to Ranma that would make him call Kyle a pervert.

After another period of silence, Lisa asked Ranma why he was leaving the movie early. She figured since it starred his sister, he'd want to stay until the end. But she couldn't understand what he meant when he said it became too painful to watch.

"Everything that happened on the screen really happened to me."

"Huh?" Lisa still didn't understand. And Ranma picked it up.

"You see, Nakata is actually me."

Lisa seemed to get some sort of understanding. But that didn't quite explain why it was too painful to watch.

"And the girl Minmei portrayed, her real name is Akane. She was my fiancée."

That revelation was devastating to Lisa. She remembered Ranma called out that name while on the Zentraedi ship. She was probably waiting for his return after all this was over.

Ranma continued, though this time he didn't pick up on Lisa mood. "It happened just a week before I found out about my mother. It happened just as it did on screen, and in the end, I realized how much Akane really meant to me."

"She must be really special." _Not plain like me_.

"Actually..." Ranma then went on about Akane's qualities. How she was an uncute tomboy who couldn't cook, had a short fuse, liked to jump to conclusions, and very jealous/envious. It made Lisa wonder what it was that Ranma saw in this girl. But then Ranma went and told about Akane's good qualities. How she could be considerate, there in times of need, loyal to friends and family, and had been the first person to offer to be his friend in close to ten years.

Hearing this, Lisa realized what she needed to do. Ranma must be the type of person that values friendship. All she had to do was offer to be his friend. If only he hadn't already engaged.

"Until she found out about my condition, my curse," he ended in almost a whisper. But it was still loud enough for Lisa to hear.

"You have a curse?"

"It's not like you haven't seen it before," Ranma calmly stated.

Lisa quickly remembered him saying that everything in the movie happened. Could that possibly mean Ranma's curse turned him into a girl. Then she remembered two more things. First were the rumors back before they left, before he was promoted to CAG, that hinted to Ranma taking a female medical exam. The second was another memory of the when they were on the Zentraedi flagship, when he had appeared to shift momentarily to a shorter body with red hair when they ended up in that "pond of water."

"That was your curse form I saw on the Zentraedi ship? That which you said was nothing?"

Ranma nodded.

"But how could you say it was nothing? And how can you see it as a curse? I would think of it as a blessing. You have intimate understanding of what women have to go through."

"I said it was nothing because I don't like the reactions I get once people find out. Secondly you have to understand my upbringing to understand why I call it a curse."

"Oh."

"But the main reason it was too painful is because I lost Akane."

"I thought you said everything in the movie happened. You didn't lose her in the movie

"I didn't lose her then. I lost her by going into space. She fell in love with another guy, after being told I was dead. Now she's married and has a baby."

That statement provided Lisa with some relief and hope. And it allowed her to relate to the situation. Lisa told Ranma how she fell in love with an eighteen-year-old guy when she was eleven.

"He had been a junior officer on my father's staff. He was only in the military because his family was a prominent member of society, and it was part of his duty as every male in his family spent time in the military since the American Revolutionary War. But he didn't like war and only wanted peace.

"Half a year after joining my father's staff, he put in a request for transfer to Mars Base Sara. He figured he'd finish his four years there since the war hadn't spread out into space. When he finally received the assignment, he told he loved me. I was so happy to hear that, so I told him I'd join the military so we could be together. He said that was real sweet and then gave me my first kiss. Well it was actually on the cheek.

"When I told my father I wanted to join the military, he was thrilled that I wanted to follow in his footsteps. What I really wanted was to enlist so I could get up the Mars ASAP, but my father didn't like the idea of his daughter being a normal soldier. So he pulled some strings and made me the youngest person to enter the new RDF Academy at twelve.

"I was there about a year and a half when news of the battle within Sara Base became known. I was absolutely heartbroken when they said there were no survivors. I held out hope that maybe Karl might have been alive but without communications."

"And then we landed there and found out that there weren't any survivors," Ranma finished off. Then he asked, "Was that his room I rescued you from?"

With a nod, Ranma finally understood why she had been more upset with him after that point.

"That kinda worst that me," Ranma said. "My heartache married another guy. Yours flat out died."

"Boy, you really know how to show a gal sympathy."

Ranma was unfazed by the comment. "So Kyle reminds you of that guy. Well besides their names both start with 'K,' and fact they both want peace, you could do better than Kyle."

It was well known to the inhabitants of the SDF-1 that Lynn Kyle was advocating a stop to the fighting and seeking a peaceful resolution, ever since Minmei passed out from exhaustion the day Ben died.

Ranma laughed when Lisa said Kyle also looked like him. She figured it was an okay thing for him to do that, especially since she was also vying for his heart, even if he didn't know. She still couldn't admit that to herself, or the fact that Ranma had a substantial lead.

About that time, the strangest thing happened. A Petite Cola appeared at the ledge. That wasn't the strange thing. The strange thing was it asked if they wanted to buy a cola. Lisa quickly yelled for it to get some help. But the machine couldn't comprehend. When it didn't get the necessary answer, it proceeded to move along. But Ranma was thirsty. He hadn't had anything since the beginning of the movie, and the popcorn was starting to dry his mouth. So with the agility of a highly trained martial artist, he leapt off the floor and to the ledge, using to walls to change his angles. Seconds later he leapt back in with two 20 oz. bottles. Lisa was completely stunned since it had to be a good three stories up to the ledge.

"H-H-How?"

"Oh, that. That's nothing for the best martial artist to ever live," Ranma boasted. "Though it's been awhile."

"You mean you could have leapt up and gotten us out of here?" she asked, well drinking.

Since he had just leapt up to the edge, he unabashedly replied, "Well, yeah."

Annoyed at hearing, she squeezed the opened bottle, which erupted and spewed it contents on her and surprisingly on Ranma, which triggered a transformation in him.

"Awe man!" Ranma exclaimed at this. This was the first time that neither his mother nor Minmei were present when she changed forms. And it was rather convenient considering she just told Lisa about it.

"We've been sitting here for close to an hour, and now you tell me this," Lisa ranted and then noticed it was a short, red haired girl before her. "Wow!" she breathed without knowing it. She had to admit that Ranma's girl form was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She was beyond supermodel beauty. And how was it possible for her to be more endowed than her?

"Ah, Lisa, my face is up here," Ranma stated, bring Lisa back to reality.

"I didn't know you were that way," Ranma joked. "But I won't tell anyone. Though it would explain why ya don't give men the time of day."

"I'm not a lesbian, if that's what you're insinuating!" Lisa exclaimed. "Didn't we just talk about my first love? Besides, the men on this ship just don't interest me."

Unfortunately she didn't pick up on the fact that Ranma was joking. "Lisa, I'm only kidding. I get the same reaction from many women when they first see me in this form. I can't help it that the women in my family are beautiful."

"Beautiful's an understatement," Lisa remarked. "You're absolutely stunning."

Ranma said she was trying to be modest. Something she was still learning from her mother, which would have prevented a lot of trouble early on, such as the table that slammed on her head that first night at the Tendos. It was also the reason she hadn't mention that she could have jumped the distance out. If she was still with Genma, she just might have done that. But Nodoka had explained that not everyone could do or appreciate the things Ranma could do. And there was no need to boast and showboat her abilities.

Lisa found it acceptable, but it still wasn't an excuse why Ranma didn't just get them out of there. She did not need to worry about that much longer, though. The partition that sealed them in their cage moved, and they retraced their way out. It was totally unexpected to find themselves on the street when they exited their maze.

It took Ranma a moment to figure out where she was. It just so happened their labyrinth exited not far from the Hotel Continental. She felt lucky that she could just get some hot water from the penthouse and hopefully turn back male.

"I think I'll just head back to the base," Lisa commented. She turned to leave.

"No wait," Ranma stopped her. "At least let me replace your soda. I'm sure mom got the frig stocked."

Lisa was still thirty, so she took her up on the offer. Unfortunately they only got as far as the stationary Petite Cola machine a block away. Ranma had Lisa hide behind the machine.

"What's the problem?" Lisa asked.

"Kyle's walking up to the entrance with Minmei," Ranma answered. "I can't be seen around that guy in this form."

"Why's that?"

To answer the question, Ranma stated that Kyle has been trying to get her to go out with him since Minmei's seventeenth birthday party. Lisa could see the problem but didn't understand since Ranma was really a guy. So Ranma explained Kuno to Lisa, and how Kyle acted very much like him. However unlike Kuno, Ranma has never changed in front of him.

"Well why don't we just head back to base, instead of hiding," Lisa said. "You can treat me to that soda there."

Ranma thought about it for a second before agreeing, as long as it got her away from Kyle.

And they walked down the deserted streets of Macross. As they did so, their hands subconsciously reached out to each other. Within a minute of their trip back to the base, they realized they were walking hand in hand and were fine with it. So neither did a thing to separate. Neither cared that they were both women nor the perception it would lead to if people saw them.

* * *

Author's notes:

_Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson! _is the actual Japanese title for the first Ranma 1/2 movie. The song is _Let me be with you_, which is the opening theme of Chobits by Roundtable featuring Nino. Since I was going to use the first Ranma 1/2 movie, I couldn't use the one from Super Dimension Fortress Macross, I was going to use the one from the end of the movie. Then I started watching Chobits and thought the its opening song would serve it better, since it's a female singing it.

I also used this movie because Ranma needed a reason to leave early. Like seeing the one he considered a sister being kissed would make him leave. But a movie about a portion of his old life with Akane would. This is also the point I thought Rick feelings for Lisa really started, oppose to finding out there might be some feeling during his dream after being shot down.


	19. Boarded revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 19: Boarded

* * *

"… Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to Lisa. Happy Birthday to you."

Clapping followed as Lisa blew out the number 21 candle that rested on a cake. March 3, 2011. Twenty-one years after the birth of Lisa Hayes, and this was the first party she's had since before entering the academy.

It wasn't a big party, but it did have all the people she had associated with while on the SFD-1. Claudia was there with her lovely daughter, Achika, the first baby born in 2011 on the SDF-1. She was born a couple of weeks late, but Claudia didn't fully mind the lateness, except for maybe last few days and the hours during the delivery. Achika's skin was a shade lighter than Claudia, her eyes were a lovely shade of magenta, which in itself was weird since magenta wasn't a eye color that is normally seen, and what little hair she had was blonde like her father, though it was not his natural color.

Also there were Lena and Max, since they were kind of enough to let them hold the party at their restaurant, Rick Hunter, Nodoka Hasegawa, and the two that sang "Happy Birthday," Lynn Minmei and Ranma Saotome. Oh, and there was Ranma's friend, Nabiki Tendo.

She much appreciated the friendship she had formed since that day in January with Ranma. In fact, it was he that organized this for her without her knowledge.

"So, what'd you wish for?" asked the nineteen-year-old Ranma.

"Ranma, that's inappropriate," stated his mother. "You're not supposed to ask people what you wish for or it will not come true."

"Then how come Minmei asked me that at my party?" He pointed and saw Minmei was giving him a raspberry. That clearly indicated that Minmei had pulled a quick one on him. Slightly angered, Ranma felt the urge to punish her and started chasing her around, much like when they were kids. However they were not longer kids. He was 19, and she was going to 18 later on in the year.

That didn't matter, as he grabbed a cup of punch and announced what he was about to do. Minmei, realizing what she had to do, started running away. She knew she couldn't last long against Ranma. He had always been faster than her. Thankfully she hadn't worn anything from her designer clothing collection.

When she hadn't been caught quickly, she thought of the hilarity of the situation. She was so scared of being dowsed, and Ranma wasn't even trying. He was just teasing her. So she started laughing as it brought up old memories. Ranma soon joined her, as he experienced the same memories.

"I wonder what's so funny in acting like a couple of kids?" asked Rick, an only child whose life before the SDF-1 consisted of the flying circus, his fanjet, his father, and two people over ten years his senior.

"I guess they're reliving some childhood memory," replied Lisa, another only child whose life revolved around the military.

The laughter soon ended, as the punch eventually ended up dumped on Minmei's head.

"You sing well together," stated Nabiki, changing the subject. "Ya know, maybe you two should record something together."

Minmei and Ranma snickered at the ironic statement. This time no one had a clue what was funny. But it did hurt Nabiki's feelings, as she didn't like being laughed at for no apparent reason.

"Say, why don't I open some presents?"

This was Lisa's first party in a while, and she enjoyed having the attention on her, as it wasn't often she received such attention. She started with Claudia's and eventually ending with a cylinder package. It was a cylindrical object no bigger than that of a 12oz. can. It brought a smile to her face in knowing that Ranma didn't even try to hide what it was. The smile soon turned into a giggle when she saw the Petite cola.

"Hey, I'd said I'd buy you another," stated Ranma. "Soooo, it took a couple of months."

"Yes. Yes, it has," Lisa giggled.

Everyone else in the room was confused. Finally Claudia asked, "Have I missed something while on maternity leave?" It might not have been worded the same, but Nabiki thought the same thing.

* * *

Khyron paced about his tactical room. It had been close to three Micronian months since there was an attack from the Zentraedi fleet, and even then, his battalion wasn't allowed to participate. Since his return, Breetai had "clamped down" on the actions of the Botoru Battalion. So he had been allowed to fester for close to nine months on his last unsuccessful attack. But that was all he could take, hence his pacing.

Khyron planned on solving the Micronian problem. An attack was a sure fire way to eliminate all of them, even if it ended up costing the Zentraedi the battle fortress (their sole purpose). He didn't care about any action taken by Breetai. Once the Micronians in the SDF-1 were eliminated, the planet and the system would be for the Zentraedi's taking.

A late arriving Grel interrupted his thought process. If there was one thing that Khyron really hated was not being prompt. "I'm sure you have a valid and logical excuse as to why you're late?"

Grel stiffened at the sound of his commander's voice. If there was one thing that was known to all Zentraedi of the 7th Mechanized, you do not piss off Khyron or you might not live to see another day. Luckily for him, Grel did have an excuse for his lateness. There were rumors coming from Breetai's flagship that there were soldiers that were actually taking a liking to the Micronians, led by three spies retrieved from the battle fortress.

None of this was of any concern to Khyron. It was happening on Breetai's ship. Then Grel mentioned the same sentiments were starting to spread throughout the entire fleet. That brought a laugh from Khyron. It only proved his point that the Micronians were a dangerous species that must be brought to its knees. Something he could have done well over a Micronian year ago, if it wasn't for the many hindrances.

On another ship within the fleet, plans were being discussed. On Breetai's flagship, the commander of the fleet, plus his most trusted advisor, was having a conversation with the supreme commander.

"So you want us to kidnap some Micronians?" asked Breetai.

"That's precisely what I said. And I don't like repeating myself," replied Dolza.

"But why?" asked Exedore.

"Are you questioning my orders?" Even though Dolza was in different quadrant, his glare proved to be quite imposing.

"N-Not at all, m'lord," stammered Exedore.

Dolza went on to explain his order. It seemed to him that the Micronians knew more about Protoculture than they'd let on. He came to this conclusion after watching the battle record that showed that Micronians had the ability to use their own bodies to project energy. It was the logical next step that Breetai wondered why he didn't think about that instead of commencing an attack after watching it.

"It shall be done," Breetai said, with a salute.

"Don't fail me, Breetai." With that the vid-screen disappeared. Breetai turned to Exedore and told him to draw up plans to get on the battle fortress.

* * *

Rick and Minmei were on the couch in his new room, watching a movie. It was one of the rare moments in which Minmei had some time to herself. Even though there was a movie on, it did not necessarily mean they were watching it. Instead they were doing what teenagers do, some heavy petting and saliva swapping.

The evening hadn't intended on ending up this way. It just happened. Rick wanted a movie night with a good friend, allowing him to display his cooking skills in his kitchenette. After the pleasant meal, they watched a movie recently transmitted from Earth, which led to this make out session, though they were still fully clothed. Barely.

It felt like the natural progression in their relationship that pretty much began with the two being missing in the bowels of the SDF-1 and a kiss two years ago, though it had been stalled by Rick's entrance into the RDF, Minmei's pop idol career, and Rick's relationship Kim Young. It appeared to pick up again when Minmei fainted on the last day of shooting her movie. But that's not to say things were going along smoothly. For instance there were the rumors that Minmei was dating her cousin, Kyle. The rumors angered her to no end.

They came up for air and took a peek at the movie, finding it had reached an interesting part. After watching the movie in silence, Minmei asked Rick a question.

"Rick, what do you really think about me?"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about."

"Haven't we gone over this?"

"Not in two years."

Rick wondered where this was coming from. He still answered her to the best of his abilities with the thought of Ranma's two year old threat in the back of his mind. "Well, you're obviously very talented. Good natured 'cause everyone loves. The most beautiful girl I know. And a good kisser to boot."

"Am I a better kisser than that Kim?"

_So this is what she getting at_, thought Rick. "You're definitely a better kisser than Kim." _Besides I wouldn't tell you if you weren't. I've seen those movies_.

"Then how come it's taken us this long to get to this stage?" inquired Minmei. "Why haven't we had sex yet?"

Rick took a moment to contemplate what Minmei just said, and then he started laughing.

"Why are you laughing? I'm serious here." Hearing Rick laugh made Minmei think he was mocking her.

"I never knew you wanted that. Besides it's odd to hear a girl pleading for sex. That's like a guy thing."

"Well I would have at least thought you knew of a woman's need for sex can be the same as a man's," Minmei replied.

Rick had to think about this for a minute. It was hard to comprehend what Minmei was going. Though his love for Minmei had grown this year, he couldn't see her as a sexual being. She wasn't like Kim, who seemed to exude sexual energy. She was his best friend's sister.

"I'm not going to try to have sex with you to fulfil a need."

"Could you at least ask, so that I can at least reject your offer?"

"No, I'm not going to even do that," Rick said as he kissed her nape. "We're not ready for sex. And we've got too much goin' on in our lives." _And 'cause Ranma would kill me when he found out_.

"Do you think we will?" Minmei asked, bending her head back for easy access to Rick's lips.

"I don't know… Maybe when we're married," Rick replied in between kisses. Of course he was smart to make sure his lips were on Minmei's so she couldn't reply. That didn't mean she couldn't display her shock at hearing the "M" word out of Rick's mouth.

* * *

"So you believe this will work?" asked Breetai.

The day flowing Dolza's ultimatum, Exedore had already come back with a plan to get onto the battle fortress.

"Yes, I believe that this will work. After reviewing battle records, I have witnessed that given certain circumstances the Micronians will deploy 'the right arm' of the battle fortress and use it as a battering ram. Since our ships are exploding internally, I figure they must deploy some type of weapon from within the arm."

Looking at the 3D simulation of the proposed attack, Breetai asked, "So you mean to use their own attack against them to get our units onboard?"

"Exactly, Lord Breetai."

"Good work, Exedore. Start the preparations for the attack." Breetai truly liked the plan. Though there was one thing that would make an ordinary commander hesitant to implement such a plan. To use one's own ship as bait was straight out ludicrous, especially when it called for its potential destruction.

Breetai stood on his observation deck as the upcoming attack was announced. For a warrior society, the announcement went with great thrill. War was in the Zentraedi blood, and this idleness would eventually lead to edginess if this inactivity continued much longer.

That's not to say that every Zentraedi was eager to get back into combat. They were small in number, but there were some that didn't want to attack the SDF-1. Especially since the one Micronian that they idolized lived on said ship.

"What are we going to do?" asked a purple haired soldier.

The question was directed at Rico, who had become the unofficial leader of this group that was beginning to long to meet Minmei. Starting with the items he and his two fellow spies brought back and add the viewing of programs on a daily basis, the want of experiencing Micronian life grew strong among this group, as with the wanting to meet Lynn Minmei.

"Obvious this is our chance!" Rico said, as if it was a stroke of genius.

This wasn't sudden decision by him. It was a well-known fact that he, Konda, and Bron desired to return to the fortress. It wasn't like they didn't have the opportunity during this down time. Let's just say, the three weren't some of the smartest Zentraedi of the group, which was also why they weren't given the command they were promised.

"But how do we go about doing it?" asked another in a group of ten Zentraedi gathered around the former spies.

"Simple. During the battle, we just happen to make our way over to the battle fortress, and give ourselves to them," replied Rico.

That garnered a gasp from the group. They may have wanted to experience the Micronian life, but they were still Zentraedi. And Zentraedi just don't give up.

"That's pure suicide," one soldier said.

"They'll kill us for sure," said another, with them all nodding in agreement.

"You have to understood that the Micronians aren't like us?" stepped in Konda, having Rico back.

"Yeah. They are so much unlike us that some of them actually advocate for peace," added Bron.

It took a moment to take that in. Though they knew what peace was, the concept of advocating for it was quite foreign to them. They all had to ask themselves how could one live without war/battle/combat? After awhile, someone broke the silence to bring up the realization that they couldn't possibly "defect" as their full size. That was really no problem. All they had to do was find someone within their group that had knowledge of the micronization chambers.

Fortunately they did, in the form of the meek, blonde hair Zentraedi named Karita. All eyes turned in his direction. There was no need for them to speak, for Karita already knew what was about to be asked. "I-I don't know if I should do it."

"Of course, you should," replied Konda. "You just helping out some of your friends here."

What Karita worried about more was being caught. The penalties for unauthorized use were quite severe since the chamber taxed their Protoculture reserves.

In persuading Karita to help, Rico offered his Minmei doll plus use of his copy of Minmei's CD. To Rico, this was a reasonable offer because Karita was as deeply devoted to Minmei as they were, if not more, and he had never seen her in person. He was proven right as Karita hesitantly agreed to do it, as long as he could join them.

* * *

"Sir, radar is picking up activity from the Zentraedi armada," stated Vanessa.

Up until now, it had been a rather routine day on the bridge of the SDF-1. With Claudia still on maternity leave, her job was shared by Lisa and Sammie. It was much easier than having a tech from another shift doing the job, especially since Sammie had been cross-training to do Lisa's job since it was announced that Claudia was pregnant. It meant this crew could work with just the four girls and not mess with the other watches, since Kim could easily perform both hers and Sammie responsibilities.

But with Vanessa's announcement, it was routine no more.

"What type of activity?" asked Gloval.

"Several ships have broken away and are headed for us."

This was not good, and Gloval knew it. The ships that were headed towards them came from two different directions. In one direction were the ships that had been identified as being the group that harassed them to no end since Mars. From the other direction were the ships that attacked the night of the premiere of _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson!_

Gloval went over to Vanessa's station to see her information. There were six ships approaching in total. Two from the pesky side, but the bigger trouble came from the four from possibly the main force. Without any hesitation, he ordered Lisa to alert Lt. Saotome and prepare the ship for battle.

* * *

Down in the city, it had been an ordinary day that led into the most anticipated night since the opening of _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson!_ Tonight was Minmei's first concert of the year. It was Minmei's first concert since the release of her second album. So that meant a good portion of Macross' population was currently in the amphitheatre, where the sound of Minmei's voice was amplified throughout that section of the ship.

"_...Whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!_

_My boyfriend's is a pilot._"

Minmei took in the applause from the crowd. She was in her element, the stage, the lights, and the crowd. Even though she liked doing the movie, she wouldn't trade this in for anything.

"Thank you. Thank you. My next song is from my new album."

That was the cue to her backup band to start an upbeat tune.

"_Remember_

_The silver wings that dance in the great sky?_

_Little White Dragon!_

_Little White Dragon! ..._"

Out among the crowd was Nabiki. It surprised her that she was actually having a good time. This was her first concert, and a half hour into it, she understood why people didn't care much about ticket prices to see their favorite band. And she had to admit that Minmei was an excellent performer. Hearing her on the radio was one thing, but seeing her perform in person was another.

Standing next to her was Ranma. This was the second time he'd taken Nabiki out. Turning his gaze from Nabiki and onto the stage, he had to admit that Minmei was putting on a good show. It was much different from her first show. Add to the fact she had more recorded material, there were actually sections of choreography with background dancers, though Minmei could probably do more if she wouldn't have worn a dress.

The bad thing about the concert he didn't like was knowing that Kyle stood offstage. Just the fact that he was there irked Ranma to no end. None of his rivals, none of the persistent girls gave him that feeling, or at least not for this length of time. And it wasn't just the fact that he constantly tried to pick up on him, er, her.

Ranma became distracted by a buzzing sensation from his pocket. It could mean only one thing, but he didn't want to answer his phone. He had promised his mother that he would spend time with Nabiki. And today was his day off, too. However it was his job, and there was no way of escaping it.

"Saotome here."

Lt. Saotome, this is the bridge.

"Hey, Lisa, what up," he said as if making casual conversation.

What he was trying to do was avoid alerting Nabiki to possible trouble. He could have done better job if he hadn't mentioned Lisa by name. Hearing her name disrupted the euphoric mood she was in.

"Okay, I'm on my way." Ranma finished his conversation and put his phone back in his pocket. He then turned to Nabiki. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Nabiki didn't want to hear that. They were on a "date," and he was going to meet up with another woman. She wasn't having it. Until Ranma said he had to go to the _Prometheus_.

"Is something bad about to happen?" she asked, sounding concern. She speculated that there was only one thing that would get Ranma to the job on his day off, especially when he commented on his confidence about Rick handling his job if he was away, such as now.

"I don't think it's too bad," he replied. But Nabiki knew he was lying. He still couldn't do that with a straight face.

Before Ranma left, he gave Nabiki a backstage pass for afterwards and told her he'd be back as soon as possible. In an attempt to make Nabiki feel safe, he mentioned that the amphitheatre was a safe place. There was a dome that closed it off, thus making it a shelter.

* * *

Columns upon columns of Battlepods stood lined up in the hanger of Breetai's ship waiting to be deployed. These 'Pods were part of the Reguld Squadron, who were some of the Zentraedi's elite troopers. These were the men that were going to board the SDF-1. And they were all eager to go.

Amongst them were six 'Pods that did not belong. In those six were eighteen micronized soldiers. These were the men that agreed to defect with Rico, Konda, and Bron. All eighteen were dressed in the same dark cloth. All were eager to slip onto the SDF-1, but none had yet figured out how to do so without being discovered by their own people.

"All Battlepods proceed to the bow," an announcement came through the comm.

The former spies were confused by this order. The reason their six were with this group was because of the proximity to the airlocks. Now they were being told to move towards the bow.

"What do you think is going on?" asked Bron.

"I don't think we are in the position to ask such a question," answered Rico. "The only thing we can do is follow the others."

"Hopefully, our fortunes will be rewarded," added Konda.

At the same time, on another Zentraedi ship headed towards the same destination, Khyron prepared his men. It was by chance that his attack would coincide with Breetai, though the two objectives were entirely different. In fact, Khyron saw this as a blessing. He would use Breetai's attack as a decoy while his 'Pods moved in for the kill.

* * *

Sirens were blaring on the hanger deck of the _Prometheus_. The situation had to be serious as the alarms never stayed on for this long. Typically, the sirens sounded in short blast for a Zentraedi attack.

Ranma climbed the ladder to Skull One, having gathered the intelligence and briefed both the squadron commanders and his squadron. He gave a salute to Lt. Janice as she continued to get things situated within the cockpit.

"You think these sirens have gone on long enough?" Janice shouted.

"I know what you mean," Ranma replied, as he situated himself. "But I think it's to get people movin'."

Janice looked around the hanger and saw that indeed people were moving. She watched the crews in motion and then quickly returned to her task at hand. Making sure Ranma was secured into the Veritech.

While she did this, Ranma, once again, made himself comfortable in the fighter that had been his uncle's. It was something that Roy had taught him. A routine Roy developed during his days in the flying circus. Ranma was sure Rick did the same thing. However one thing he did that wasn't passed down from his uncle was to make sure he secured his glove to the stick and the HOTAS by way of the rings that were on both them and the gloves.

"You're all set, sir," Janice stated, making her way down the ladder.

"Say, Janice, can I ask you something real quick?" Ranma said, as he put on his "thinking cap." With a nod, Ranma proceeded to ask her why she called him sir. They were both lieutenants, and Amanda Janice had been in the service longer. It wasn't something important. He just wanted to liven up the mood. Though he was still getting use to terms of respect.

Janice was stopped on the ladder in surprise. This was the first time Ranma had ever said anything to her that was not related to the fighter. But she couldn't stay there too long, for Skull One needed to be off the desk ASAP. Besides it was a simple answer, for even though she had been the RDF longer than Ranma, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant one day before her.

With that said, she leapt off the last rung, saluted, and wished him good hunting. The ladder retracted, and Ranma nudged Skull One followed. As he canopy came down, he returned Janice's salute and closed and sealed his helmet. He found himself on the elevator when Sammie appeared on the tac-net.

"Lieutenant, proceed to Tango One. Cruiser is moving fast."

Ranma rogered that. Said cruiser had been identified as causing much of their troubles since Mars. And within that ship housed the Officer's Pod that he was eager to destroy.

He looked to his right to Skull 19, an ensign that had transferred from Ireland. He was unlike most of those transferred to the SDF-1, as he had recently graduated of the academy and had been fresh out of flight school. And as with most of the transferees, this was to be his first combat action, for he was like many (including Ranma) that found themselves grounded for the attack after the première of _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson!_

He looked over to the other elevator and spotted his ever-trusty subordinates, Rick and Max. It seemed they were just as eager to get into the action as he. Once the elevators stopped, the four Veritechs moved to the four catapults, allowing the elevators to bring up more. The cat crews had the four Veritechs ready to roll, with Ranma hooked up to the port side bow catapult. With a salute, Ranma was the first one off the deck, customary for the CAG. With efficient work of the cat crews, the Skulls were up and away within seven minutes.

Within fifteen, they became the first unit to engage the Zentraedi. Soon the blossoms of death appeared due to the escaping atmosphere from either Battlepod or Veritech.

The fighting was fast, furious and quite chaotic. This wasn't much of a problem to Ranma. For last few years of his life, he lived in chaos. This was just another form of it that most people would rather not see. However when it came to the protection of his mother, he spared no Zentraedi life. Because of this, Skull One became the angel of death many Zentraedi feared.

Skull Squadron didn't take on Khyron's forces by themselves. After the initial action, they were reinforced by three more squadrons, providing the RDF defender with superior numbers, which was unusual. Unfortunately this numerical superiority didn't last long. When Breetai released his Battlepods into action, they seemed to come in waves. For the new pilots, the sheer numbers were disheartening. Those who decided to volunteer for SDF-1 duty began to wonder if they had done the right thing. Some husbands and boyfriends instantly wondered if they would see their loved ones again, and in most cases, they wouldn't because of lost of concentration.

But none of these problems plagued the new pilots of Skull Squadron or Vermilion, showing proof in Ranma's training regiment, which Parker Fosher had quickly adopted. For these pilots, the combat was just like the simulators, who at times thought it crazy because who in their right mind would commit so many to one battle.

Up on the bridge, they waited for the eventual bombardment, which had become the standard m.o. All turrets were ready. The old pinpoint barrier was active.

They waited for the bombardment, but none came. Instead the lead ship continued to advance. It was the biggest ship most on the bridge had ever seen. Because of this, Gloval ordered all gun and missile emplacements to fire.

When the SDF-1 opened fire, Breetai ordered his guns to return fire.

Fearful that the Zentraedi had decided to ram the SDF-1, Gloval ordered Lisa to prepare to enact the _Daedalus_ Maneuver. In order to not make the same mistake as last time, Lisa made herself fully prepared. Due to rigorous training, the preparation for the maneuver was accomplished in no time flat. Destroids and missile racks were quickly moved into position at the bow of the supercarrier. The pinpoint barrier was positioned to reinforce the _Daedalus_' bow.

However that was not the problem Lisa wanted to prevent. She didn't want to have another mental lapse and cause another pilot to be caught by friendly fire, especially Ranma. And if it happened in space, no pilot would be as lucky as Ranma, who had the option of ejecting from his Veritech and landing in the ocean.

Breetai's ship stopped firing as it got closer the SDF-1. It inched closer and closer until it was within the predicted range of the SDF-1's predicted maneuver. Lisa did nothing to prove them wrong, for at that instant, she set the _Daedalus_ Maneuver. The maneuver went as planned. The reinforced bow plowed into the bow of Breetai's ship. The _Daedalus_ plunged forward until it stopped with half its length in. The ramp came down, and laser fire cleared the way for the Destroids walking down the ramp.

That was the last thing that went right. What the Destroids or Lisa didn't know, they had fallen into a trap. What they didn't know, there were Battlepods hiding in the hold where the _Daedalus_ came to a stop. Exedore had planned everything out perfectly.

The Destroids opened fire. For the Destroids on the Zentraedi ship, that was the last thing they'd remember. No sooner had they done this, Battlepods jumped out of hiding and quickly surrounded and overpowered the unsuspecting men. They were all killed before they knew what hit them.

Once they were dispatched, the Reguld Squadron made their way up the ramp, and among them were Battlepods housing the defecting, micronized Zentraedi. Next, they took care of the missile racks set to unleash their payload. They didn't stop there. By the preset time of the _Daedalus'_ extraction, Battlepods were making their way through corridors that led to the heart of the ship, and all done without a warning to the bridge.

Within seconds of extraction, the ship hadn't exploded. In fact, it appeared the ship was alive as it sealed the hole the _Daedalus_ just created.

"What's going on?" inquired Captain Gloval.

Lisa couldn't offer up an explanation. The best thing she could do was call up the Destroids squadrons sent to complete the mission. But she got no response. She had no way of knowing that they were destroyed.

Just as she was about to use other means of communication, the emergency phone from the _Daedalus_ rang.

* * *

Minmei went about doing her concert without concern or knowledge of what was going on outside the SDF-1. Sure there were people in the amphitheatre that knew the SDF-1 was under attack, but they failed to mention it to the crowd.

The first signs of trouble were loud rumblings echoing throughout the hold and a shaking reminiscent of an earthquake. The rumbling was a type that people of Macross weren't accustomed. The shaking had people tumbled and stumbled throughout the city.

Minmei stumbled and might have fallen down if it weren't for the quick reactions of Lynn Kyle. Able to keep his balance because of his martial arts training, Kyle saw this as a moment where Minmei could flex her "muscles" and motivate people.

"Minmei, I know you're frightened," Kyle whispered, "but you need to do something. Instill confidences in your fans. Instill hope."

Minmei looked out into the crowd and saw panic. Some people made their way to the exits. Others lied on the floor, obviously injured. Still there were some that had no clue as to what to do.

Kyle wanted her to do something, but what could she do. She was just a singer, an entertainer, an idol. How could she instill confidence and hope into these people? The only thing she could think of doing was sing.

Minmei thought that that might be exactly what Kyle wanted her to do. He wanted her to continue singing. She turned to her backup band to find they had run for cover. Her only option was to sing without them. She would surprise her fan with what she would do.

She went offstage and made a request to one of the stagehands. While she was offstage, Kyle took control of the microphone to tell the crowd that Minmei was going to continue the concert. That served to quail some of the people for a moment until they didn't see Minmei up on the stage.

Minmei was soon back onstage, followed by the stagehand rolling out a piano and a bench. One could imagine the look on Kyle's face when he saw Minmei sit. He had no idea that Minmei knew how to play. It was something she took up recently by suggestion of her surrogate mother. Nodoka had told her it would help with her songwriting if she worked with an instrument.

Now that she was behind the piano, she had no clue what to play. It was easy to play one of her songs, but she didn't think they would be appropriate. With hands resting on the keys, she wished Ranma was there. He knew a lot of songs, which was surprising for a martial artist who was to dedicate his life to the Art. He knew more songs than even her, granted the songs he knew were mostly The Beatles and their solo projects.

Just thinking about that, she thought of what she got sing.

When the first notes were played, the crowd started to silence itself. Much of it was to find out where the sound of a piano was coming from. When they saw that it was Minmei playing it, they didn't wonder about her playing. They wondered where the piano came from.

Then Minmei sang into the mic.

"_Love, Love, Love.  
Love, Love, Love.  
Love, Love, Love._

As she started the song, her voice was soft, but with "encouragement" from Kyle, she continued to sing at just the right vocal level.

…All you need is love.  
All you need is love, love.  
Love is all you need."

* * *

"The Zentraedi have boarded the ship?" Ranma asked Sammie, after dispatching another Battlepod. "How many are we talking about?"

Sammie couldn't provide Ranma with a number. The bridge had been informed of the breach by a soldier's last dying breath. The only thing she could inform him was they were on their way to Macross City.

Ranma was quickly angered. The Zentraedi had just put his family in even more danger than normal. "Rick, Max, you're with me," he informed them over the tac-net. "The Zentraedi decided to take the fight to the ship."

Hearing that angered Rick, for Minmei was performing her first concert of the year, and if they did one thing to her, it would take the entire Zentraedi force to kill him as he sought retribution.

The three top aces of the RDF made their way back to the SDF-1. They didn't head for the _Prometheus_ as it was impossible to make it to the city with great speed in Battloid mode. Instead they made for one of the hatches that led directly to the city.

Unfortunately for the SDF-1, Khyron and four of his men followed them through the same hatch before it closed.

* * *

Minmei had got into her encore. She had found it exciting singing while playing the piano, especially since she had little practice. What made it even more exciting were her fans singing along with her. Without the electrical accompaniment, she could actually hear them.

Even though the ship and city were being rocked by explosions, the concert went along as if nothing was happening. Nobody even minded that the concert had gone fifteen minutes longer than expected. Minmei provided them with an escape from reality, exactly as Kyle hoped would happen.

It was unfortunate that it couldn't last forever. The battle was bound to disrupt this little piece of peace. Minmei's backup band had decided to join her, and while singing _Little White Dragon_, two Battlepods appeared out of nowhere. Minmei and the audience would have never known they were there if the band hadn't stopped playing and ran off stage. Not hearing the electrical music caused Minmei to stop playing. She observed the last of her backup band leave the stage. She wanted to know where they were going, but the show must go on. So she picked up where she left off.

Unfortunately she didn't get far from that. She turned her head to look out into the crowd and saw exactly what it was the forced the band to run off stage. Standing above the bowl were two Battlepods. Minmei had a brief flashback to the last time she was this close to one. It shook her up knowing that it'd tried to kill her and maybe would have if Ranma hadn't been there.

She stopped playing, and that got Kyle wondering what was wrong. Once Minmei had started singing, he had moved off stage to admire his talented cousin. However by moving off stage, he couldn't see the crowd and didn't feel like looking out when the band ran off. When Minmei seemed to hesitate, he had to find out what was going on.

It would have been all right for Kyle to feel fear upon seeing the towering Battlepods. But he couldn't be that person, especially if he wanted to keep the image up. Instead he reacted to the sound of fear from the crowd when it began to notice the trouble.

With some convincing from Kyle, Minmei resumed singing. Only this time, her voice didn't possess the same power. The remaining audience and Kyle could tell. The audience didn't mind, but to Kyle it was all wrong. There was no way Minmei could inspire these people. Kyle went to encourage her when the SDF-1 was rocked by Zentraedi munitions from either inside or outside the ship.

One of the light fixtures separated from the overhead lighting display. It should have been quite hard for this to happen due to the Macross Amphitheatre's lighting system being redesigned to withstand such forces. It happened to be right above Minmei. Seeing this, Kyle rushed to her and pushed her off the bench. That didn't mean he, himself, escaped unscathed. The light fixture landed right on his back, sandwiching him between the now crushed bench.

Those remaining immediately decided that it was time to find shelter. For those that hadn't seen the two Battlepods, they were in an instant panic, believing they would soon leave the land of the living. Fortunately Nabiki Tendo wasn't one of them. Even though Ranma had told her she was safe there, she didn't feel safe. So when the parts of the Reguld breached Macross City, she had already made her way to The White Dragon.

The two Zentraedi pilots kept their Battlepods in place and wondered what had just happened. They stood there listening to the beautiful voice of Minmei, the Micronian that was all the talk onboard the flagship. They couldn't wait to get back there and tell their few soldiers about the experience.

However Minmei stayed there. She picked herself off the stage, and with courage and strength she didn't know she had, she gathered her cousin from the remains of the bench. She was glad that he was only unconscious, but there was concern because there was blood trickling down his forehead.

She looked up to see the two Battlepods standing there. It frightened her. She needed to find some type of cover from them. The most obvious place was backstage, but unfortunately, Minmei didn't think about that. Instead she decided it would be best for them to leave. She was just off the stage when Kyle began to regain consciousness, thus she stopped and propped him against it.

And still the two Battlepods made no move. Their pilots seemed almost oblivious to what was happening around them. They were just concerned about the interaction between the singer most had learned about from the three former spies and her male companion. They marveled at the fact neither Micronian showed any ill effects from the interaction between the sexes. They had all heard it was commonplace with them, but until one sees it in person, it was quite unbelievable due to Zentraedi society.

Since they were almost oblivious to their surroundings, they didn't hear the telltale sound to the two Shinnakasu Heavy Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2001 thermonuclear reaction turbine engines of the VF-1J belonging to Lt. Rick Hunter. Once the three Veritechs of the Skull Squadron entered Macross City, they separated to access the threat. As Ranma made for the area around the White Dragon, Rick went to the Macross Amphitheatre, while Max went looking for trouble.

On his approach, he went to Battloid mode and took out the two Battlepods. He came to rest on the same spot the Battlepods had just occupied. He peered into the bowl and spotted Minmei and Kyle.

That's when Veritechs threat alarm went off. He looked his monitors to see where it was coming and saw a couple Battlepods making their way to his position, no doubt to reinforce the two he'd just destroyed. So he went to take them out quickly, acting as guardian of the amphitheatre. Once that was done, he would return to see if Minmei was all right.

While Rick was dealing with the reinforcements, Minmei was taking care of the blood on Kyle's face. She took out the handkerchief from Kyle's pocket. Wetting it with some of her saliva, she cleaned off what she could, allowing her see the cut along the hairline. Kyle thanked her and tried to present a brave face. However it was obvious to Minmei that he was in great pain. She couldn't have that. It was Minmei's desire in life to see that every person she came across filled with joy and happiness.

After cleaning off Kyle's forehead, she should have continued making their way out. There was the possibility that Kyle needed to get to the hospital for something more serious than the cut. But she was compelled to get a smile out of him. Banking on still knowing the things that would make Kyle laugh and smile, Minmei started making faces, just like when they were younger.

Sure enough Kyle gave her the chuckle and smile she wanted, though both were weak, reflecting his condition. He thanked her for it, for he definitely felt how he looked. To show his appreciation, he moved to her in a motion that told Minmei that he was going to give her a hug. So she was shocked when his lips met hers in a kiss. And it was not a kiss that one would give a cousin. He was trying to force his tongue into her mouth.

Minmei wasn't the only one shocked, for Rick returned at the moment.

* * *

Author's notes:

_My Boyfriend's a Pilot _and _Little White Dragon_ written by Akane Asa. _All You Need is Love_ written by Lennon/McCartney. Engine of the VF-1J found on The Macross Compendium website.


	20. Surprise revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 20: Surprise

* * *

It was too painful for Rick to watch. He had ended things with Kim to be with Minmei after she passed out from exhaustion. He thought they were committed. He thought he meant something to her. But apparently what he thought and what was actuality were two separate things.

He remembered that he had work to do and felt happy about that. But before he left, he called Sammie and told her some medical attention was needed at the amphitheatre.

Easily overhearing, Lisa was well aware of the concert there, as was everyone else since it had been piped into the bridge. So she had some concern for Kyle. So she appeared on the tac-net and asked if he had gotten out of there. Her heart nearly stopped when Rick replied that the medical attention was for him.

* * *

"What the %$& are you doing?" Minmei asked.

She broken the lip lock with a punch to Kyle's solar plexus, as taught to her by Ranma. Kyle was surprised by such action that he slumped to the ground, adding to the pain. He looked at Minmei, quite confused, and was frightened by the look on her face.

"I was just trying to show my appreciation for what you did," replied Kyle, while regaining his composure.

"Well, that's a fine way of showing it. You don't %$& kiss your cousin like that," Minmei responded, up on her and moving away. She was hot, like it wasn't obvious with the four letter bombs she was dropping. "That's just %$& sick," she continued. "And you tried to put your tongue in my mouth, too." That was followed with Minmei retching and spitting. When she was done, she told him she didn't care if he made it to the hospital and ran out of there.

"Wait, Minmei," Kyle called out. "I only did it because I love you!"

Unfortunately Minmei never heard his proclamation.

* * *

Ranma stood in front of the White Dragon, near where Rick crashed the VF-1D some two years ago. Looking at his monitors, he scanned the area to see if there were any immediate threats making their way to section. He had yet to come across any Battlepods since entering the SDF-1.

"It's all clear here," Ranma reported. "How about you, Rick?"

Rick appeared on the tac-net. "Took several down around the amphitheatre. Now moving on."

"Max?"

"Quite busy at the moment," he replied. The buzz saw sound of the autocannon could be heard in the background.

"How many?" Ranma asked, accessing the situation.

"Was ten. Now two."

Max didn't need any help, which was expected. So far Ranma's two top subordinates had seen most of the action, but they seemed to avoiding his area. As it was, around twelve Battlepods had been destroyed, but there had to be more than that. Who would launch this type of attack with low numbers? He switched over to the bridge's frequency and asked Sammie if she had any clue on the location of the boarding party. Due to the fact she was concentrating on what was happening in space, Sammie plugged him into the Civil Defense frequency.

From the sounds of the grunts and screams, Ranma knew the Destroids weren't fairing well. With that in mind, he left his position and headed towards them. As he got closer, he was ashamed he didn't head for them in the first place, especially with the clouds billowing from the smoking hulls of burning and destroyed war machines.

* * *

Not far from where Skull One had just left, the hatches to four Battlepods opened. It was amazing that these four had been able to get this far without getting into any action. They were fortunate to be spotted by Ranma.

As soon as they reached their present location, they folded their legs down, which had, in effect, hid them from view. These four held the micronized Zentraedi defectors. "We're free!" exclaimed one defector, leaping out of the cockpit. It took a few minutes before all of the former soldiers were on the ground. In all there were twenty of them. It had been a group of six Battlepods, but two of them separated from the group when making a wrong turn. It would later be discovered that they were destroyed by Destroids.

"When do we get to see Minmei?" asked a defector, directed at the leaders of this band, Rico, Konda, and Bron.

Accessing the situation, Rico replied that it might be some time before they could do that. When someone asked why, he went on to explain that during attacks, the Micronians would go into these things called shelters. They all looked at the three confused, since none of them knew of the concept of a shelter.

Right around this time, their situation became precarious. Because of Miriya attack, where there were countless injuries from those who could not make it to the shelters, Civil Defense put in procedures to detail several soldiers to patrol the street when such a situation happened. One of these patrols sped through the streets in a jeep and spotted the group as they stood around their Battlepods. The Battlepods may have been on the ground, but the driver and the medic could tell they weren't destroyed. Then there were the twenty or so men standing around in ragged cloth dresses. So they knew something was up, as none of them looked like anyone they had came across in the two years they had been on the ship.

Everything looked suspicious, so the medic called it in, as the driver crept up to them.

The sound of squealing brakes startled the defectors but let them know they were no longer alone or hidden and possibly no longer safe. It all showed in their expressions.

Once the jeep stopped, the driver stepped out, shouldered his rifle, and walked over to the group. "Greetings, friends." He spoke with the distinct accent of someone from the state of Texas. "You wouldn't happen to know what's goin' on here?"

Of the twenty he was facing, seventeen of them had no clue what he just said. But as one of the three that could understand, Rico was all prepared. "We are Zentraedi."

The instant he said that, the driver had his rifle off his shoulder, and the medic was back on the radio to update the situation. Either had ever thought there would be Zentraedi their size.

Since they had had no weapons to fight back, the simple act of having a gun pointed at them caused some Zentraedi to back away towards their Battlepods. Rico was quick to respond with what he hoped would keep them alive.

"We did not come here to fight!"

* * *

Max had been truthful when he told Ranma that he was quite busy. Though one might say reducing ten to two in a small amount of time, it could not have been too rough for him. However that didn't take into account the mental aspect of that task. An ace like Max had to keep his mind focused in order to kill before being killed.

Amongst the rubble, his combat was unknowingly observed by Miriya Parino. Her search for her conqueror was finally over as she had finally found her Micronian tormentor. Now that she wasn't in her powersuit, she could observe how he performed their craft. She witnessed how he was able to "best" her twice. From this her resolve grew. She would prove she was the best pilot/soldier the ever live.

* * *

Khyron was trying his best to get out the city. How was he to take over or destroy this ship if he couldn't leave the city? And besides, why was there a city in the bowels of a battle fortress?

Since this had been Zor's ship, he had studied its layout. He knew the layout, though not as well as Breetai, who had served on the fortress at the time in was sent to this location. However things weren't as they should be. This hold was definitely smaller and narrower. It took him a while to realize the Micronians had somehow changed then interior when the battle fortress came into their possession.

It may have bothered him, but it didn't mean he was having his fun. Wherever he went, destruction was left in his wake. He went along merrily, always on the lookout for a way out of this city. Then he saw what something thought he'd never see. As his raiders did their wanton destruction, they came across five Battlepods from Breetai's Reguld Force that didn't look like there was any fight in them.

In fact they were looking for something all together different.

"You there, what is it you're doing?" Khyron asked appearing on the monitor of the closest one.

"We're searching for Minmei," the soldier replied, completely ecstatic.

Not understanding the response, Khyron asked what was a Minmei. He quickly learned that she was the Micronian that all the buzz onboard Breetai's ship courtesy of the three spies. With that information, he wanted to confirm that the group of five was all looking for this Minmei. When they replied with an emphatic yes, their lives were over. They were immediately given firsthand knowledge why Khyron was known as the "Backstabber." His angered face appeared on their monitor a mere second before he fired and destroyed one amongst their group. With the sudden realization that they were in grave danger, they bolted from the area. However Khyron was right on their tails.

* * *

The sight of Skull One brought hope to the Destroid pilots. With reputation the skull emblem brought, they knew that they would be able to repel the Battlepods facing them. Indeed the tide started to turn in their favor within second of its arrived. Within a half hour, they were joined by two more Battloids, one red trimmed, the other blue. They all knew who was in the blue Battloid, for everyone knew the greatness of Maximilian Sterling, only the second greatest living ace in the RDF, next to Ranma Saotome.

The great thing of it all, the other two Battloids had come in from the flanks. Thus the Battlepods were caught in the crossfire. They quickly ended the threat. That's when they all saw the strangest thing. They all thought they were facing all that was left of this threat, but suddenly a group of fifteen Battlepods came ran like bats out of hell. None of them could figure out what it was they were running for as he three Battloids and the Destroids had no knowledge of them.

As odd as that was, it became even more odd when one of the Battlepods was shot and destroyed. None of them had fired. None of them had really noticed the laser fire that destroyed it. They soon caught on to what was happening when an Officer's Pod came and fired one of its arm cannons. Everyone was set to open fire on it when they realized they weren't the target.

"Um, Lisa. The oddest thing just happened in front of us. It seems the Zentraedi are fighting themselves," Ranma reported.

* * *

"M'lord, there are reports coming in from the battle fortress of desertion," reported Exedore after getting off the line that linked the command bubble to the techs just below them. He could literally hear Breetai grind his teeth.

Breetai didn't like the sound of that. He wondered what could possibly be going on over there to cause such a thing. "At least tell me that they've obtained a Micronian hostage?" he inquired.

The shake of Exedore's head did not provide the favorable answer. Breetai mashed his teeth and grimaced in angered. He saw the monitor which showed the number of Battlepods dwindling. It was becoming obvious this mission was a failure. The Micronians fought just as hard within as they did in space. He needed to talk someone over there. It was time to pull the plug on this operation.

He was quite surprise when Khyron's face appear on the vidscreen but kept his stern and stoic façade. "Khyron, I want you to round up those trying to defect and bring them back to my ship," he commanded.

Khyron didn't like the sound of that. To him such actions warranted execution on the spot in times of war. However Breetai overruled him due to outranking him.

With one shout of frustration, Khyron complied with his orders.

Once Khyron was gone, Breetai proceeded to give the withdrawal order.

* * *

"Captain, it appears that the Zentraedi are withdrawing," announced Vanessa.

"What about those within?" Gloval inquired.

Sammie relayed the inquiry to Ranma. The answer she received and delivered was it appeared that one of their own was rounding up the rest inside. Gloval was grateful to hear this. If they were being rounded up, there might be a chance that they wanted to leave the ship. He ordered Lt. Saotome to lead them to the closest hatch out of the city, which would then be opened to allow them to leave.

With the thought that they had repelled yet another attack, Gloval let out a sigh of relief as he sank back into his command chair. However his tranquility was broken when Kim announced he had a call from security.

* * *

Ranma walked down the hall that led to the debriefing room that hadn't had much use once the _Prometheus_ was attached. He didn't have a clue why he had been summoned there. He doubted it was to be debriefed after this last sortie, as he was called away from doing just that.

As he walked, his mind wandered towards Rick. When he saw him, Rick looked rather upset about something. Ranma had never seen him upset, so he wondered what happened.

He would have to think about that later. He stood in front of the door to the debriefing room and knocked before entering. "Lt. Saotome, reporting as order," he stated while saluting.

The first thing he noticed, the room wasn't as full as he thought it would be for a true debriefing. Of the people there, only two of them he knew by name, Captain Gloval and Lisa Hayes. There were medical doctors, a stenographer, and a couple of people from intelligence. Oh and Colonel Maistroff was there too. Then there were three heads sitting behind a table that faced Gloval and Maistroff. There was something familiar about them. The second they turned, Ranma knew why they looked familiar, thanks to his eidetic memory.

"You!" He pointed to the three guys he recognized from the interrogation on the Zentraedi ship, when they were captured.

"Look, he remembers us," the one with the purple hair stated, like it was an honor.

The first thing that ran through Ranma's mind was to ask how were they there. He didn't remember any mission whose purpose was the capture of Zentraedi. Then it occurred to him they weren't giants. Ranma wanted answers, but his mouth couldn't convey the words he was trying to speak, even though it was moving.

"I'm sure we can answer any questions you might have, lieutenant," replied Gloval. With a nod to Lisa, he allowed her to inform Ranma of situation. How there were other Zentraedi onboard wanting to defect.

What Ranma said surprised many in the room, "Well, if they don't wanna fight anymore, that's great!"

"You can't say that, lieutenant!" exclaimed one of the higher-ranking officers in the room. "They're Zentraedi."

Ranma quickly said he did not care if they were Zentraedi, if it appeared that they no longer wanted to fight. However they didn't quite understand Ranma's mentality. Ranma wasn't fighting because he hated the Zentraedi. He wasn't fighting to prevent the destruction of the SDF-1. He fought to protect his family. So if there was a Zentraedi who no longer wanted to fight, that meant there was one less Zentraedi he had to worry about trying to kill those he loved, those he cared for.

"But I would like to know why now?"

The three former spies were confused by the question. Ranma clarified by asking why they wanted to stop fighting now? Fully understanding, the three rambled on about wanting to experience Micronian life. To be able to do things they would never meant to do, such as dancing, laughing, being around females, talk against war without consequences, and above all, listen to Minmei sing openly. Hearing that caused Ranma to groan. From the moment of learning about the defection, he had a feeling that his little sister had something to with this.

"Wait. How do you know about all this?" asked Col. Maistroff. It was an innocent question that everyone seemingly already knew the answer. It would easy to view their society through the television waves broadcasted from the SDF-1 on a daily basis. Unfortunately that wasn't the answer they received. They were surprised, yet again, when these three Zentraedi announced they spent time on the SDF-1 as spies. The thought that micronized Zentraedi had already stepped foot amongst them was frightening but fraught with apprehension. Since they had proven to be able to blend in amongst them, what was stopping them from using this as a ploy to attack from within?

A finger snap from Ranma brought the skeptics back to reality. Everyone looked at him to see his looks of realization. "I knew it wasn't just from the interrogation," he announced.

"What do you mean by that, lieutenant?" asked the Intelligence officer.

Ranma explained that he remembered seeing them before besides the interrogation. It just took time for him to remember where, but he could clearly remember seeing them amongst the crowd at Minmei's first concert. The statement was quite unbelievable, even after Rico, Konda, and Bron confirmed that they were indeed at that concert. It seemed unbelievable because it should have been impossible for a normal person to pick out three people from that large of a crowd.

Any further comments were kept to themselves, for the door opened to reveal a woman in a lab coat holding a manila folder. Many of the men in the room thought she was quite attractive, which was contrary to their stereotype of female scientists. Once the woman handed the report to Gloval, she left the room with a hidden smile, fully aware of the eyes following her every step.

Gloval looked over the report, and with a smirk of approval, he passed it along to Col. Maistroff. The contents of the report pertained to an initial examinations of the Zentraedi defectors by Dr. Emil Land and his team Robotech scientists. It confirmed some of the data gathered from the initial investigation of the SDF-1 when it crashed on Earth. However he didn't expect the outraged response Maistroff gave after reading it.

"This is absolutely preposterous," stated Maistroff.

"But they is scientific fact," replied Gloval. Then he addressed the gathering to explain the report. The report stated the Zentraedi possessed the similar blood and DNA groupings as humans. This revelation was mind blowing. If the Zentraedi were this much similar to them, it could mean somewhere in time they shared common ancestry. If that were the case, it would have some serious ramifications.

"Knowing this, I believe it to be well within our rights to allow these Zentraedi asylum," Gloval announced.

The reaction from this varied from the absolute elation of Rico, Konda, and Bron to the utter disgust from Col. Maistroff and his aide. "You have no right to make such a decision!" voiced Maistroff. "This is clearly something that the council must be informed of before such a thing can be decided."

In Gloval's eyes, the decision was clearly his to make. The UEDC was on Earth and wanted nothing to do with the superfortress. Their actions were clear on this fact, as they had decided to send the SDF-1 back into a war zone with thousands of civilians onboard.

Since it was clear that Gloval's mind was made up concerning the Zentraedi onboard, Maistroff and his aide stormed out of the room. Lisa was immediately out of her seat. She knew full well what was about to happen. Maistroff was on his way to make a communiqué to HQ. Gloval understood that would be the case, but he didn't feel the need to stop them, thus showing his respect for other people's opinions.

For all intent and purpose, that signaled the end of the meet. Guards escorted the Zentraedi out. After a few more words with Capt. Gloval, Lisa made her way out and ran into Ranma as he made his way out the building.

"You have to realize that those three were most likely in those tubes we saw on that ship," Ranma commented, not really acknowledging Lisa's presence.

"Are you saying that from memory?"

"Naw, I just figure that's how they became small."

Lisa thought it over and figured Ranma was right. At the time she'd thought they might do something like that, though she would have never made the connection.

"Say, where are you headed off to?" Ranma asked.

The question surprised Lisa. She never expected the question. She didn't know how to respond. It would be different if it were Claudia or one of the other girls.

"Say, would you like to join me?" he asked, sensing Lisa's hesitation.

"O-Okay," Lisa answered, unsure if that was the right thing to say.

* * *

When Lisa stepped into the city, she was amazed by the destruction. Buildings were in ruin. Cars were smoking, along with Destroids and Battlepods. The streets were pot marked from laser fire and errant missiles. However the destruction didn't faze Ranma. That's not to say he was use to it, but this was the third time he had seen the city in such a state, but it wasn't as bad as the first attack on Macross Island. But that didn't mean he was immune to the effects of war.

The two walked the streets as Ranma made his way towards the White Dragon. It was a relief to see a gradual reduction in the damage. The White Dragon was virtually left undamaged. There was rubble on the streets, and dust hung in the air. Clean up was still needed but not as extensive as other parts of the city.

As they approached the restaurant, Ranma was glad to see Lynn Lena and Lynn Max exit with cleaning supplies. "Ranma, m 'boy, it's good to see you're okay," commented Max, stopping from his sweeping.

Though Ranma was grateful to see them, he was concerned about his mother, Minmei, and Nabiki since he hadn't been able to get in contact with them. Concern was also written on Lena's face, as she had no knowledge on the location of her oldest son or her niece. It was worrying since it was reported the amphitheatre was deserted, having suffered some damage. Lisa ended some of her concerns by saying she remembered hearing Rick call for medical attention for Kyle at the amphitheatre. The Lynns stopped their cleaning and would have rushed off to the hospital, if it wasn't for their other son. Jason was inside, straightening up his room. They were grateful when Ranma volunteered to stay and watch.

"Ranma, hadn't you said that you wanted to check your mother?" Lisa asked once the Lynns were away.

Ranma groaned at his forgetfulness. If it wasn't for the ship's cellular and landline networks being down at the moment, it would not have been a problem. But it wasn't like there was anything he could do now. Not like he would leave Jason to himself. Of course they could have easily had him join them.

"Jason," Ranma called out, as the pair entered. He was surprised to see the insides looked worst than he would have expected. The windows were blown out, possibly from Skull One. With the windows blown out, tables and chairs were strewn about the restaurant. Then add to that the dust blown in due to the jet wash coming from any mecha flying within the Macross City.

Ranma called for Jason a second time before the eight year old boy came down the stairs. Jason had grown in the two years onboard and was now approaching chest height of Ranma. His hair was still cut to the same length, as his parents would allow it to grow long. His jeans and t-shirt were understandably dirty from cleaning.

"Whassup, Ranma."

"Just wanted you to know your mom and dad went to the hospital to check on Kyle," Ranma explained. "So we're gonna be here until they come back."

Jason replied with an okay and returned upstairs. With him gone, the two just stood, wondering what they should do to pass the time. Ranma thought it would be a brilliant idea to straighten up the place for the Lynns. Lisa didn't object to the idea. As long as there wasn't an imminent attack, there was no need for her to rush back to the bridge.

Ranma moved tables to where he remembered them, allowing Lisa to be amazed by his display of strength. Once they were in place, Lisa arranged the chairs around them. When that was done, Lisa cleaned the tables, while Ranma swept the floors. Through it all, Lisa found the cleaning rather relaxing, not having done this type of cleaning since her academy days.

"Say, how about a break?" Ranma announced, quite out of the blue.

Lisa turned to see him holding two mugs. She could use something to drink right then, so she agreed. She looked at the clock and was surprised to see that two hours had passed. Ranma handed her a cup as they took a seat. She took a sip and instantly realized it wasn't what she thought, coffee. In fact, it tasted quite bitter. She looked into the cup to see it was light green water.

"Is this green tea?" she asked.

Ranma nodded his response. "How'd you clue?"

"I don't know. Maybe from its appearance," replied Lisa, as she took another cautious sip. It was nothing like any tea she had drank before. Then again, she didn't know there more than one type of tea, and it was usually sweetened.

_Where's some sugar?_

"Wants some honey to sweeten it up?" Ranma asked, having produced a bottle along with a spoon. It wasn't like he could ignore the looks on her face each time she'd braved a sip.

After adding the honey and taking a sip, she was amazed how the taste was definitely better. The two sat and drank their tea. It was a relaxing experience, allowing the two to wind down from the day's experiences.

Lisa realized what a different experience this was. She couldn't explain why she felt a bit calmer drinking tea. It couldn't possibly be the tea or the company she was keeping. It wasn't like she'd never had a relaxing drink with another person. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact she was with a handsome Asian guy who looked as if he hadn't aged a day since she'd met him. No, that couldn't be it.

"Say, is it true what you said?" Lisa asked, breaking the silence.

Ranma held his second cup in the air, confused as to where that question came from. Lisa could see the confusion, so she added that was talking about why he fought.

"Well, yeah."

"But what about all the other people on the SDF-1?"

"I fight for them, too. I mean, it's part of the martial artist code: Protect those who can't protect themselves. It's just I think some are more important to me than others. I just spent ten years without my mom. Most of those years, I'd forgotten she existed. So I want to make up for lost time. Then I promised Minmei's parents that I'd never let anyone or thing harm her. As for Nabiki, she's the sister of the girl I was engaged with. So I kinda see her as family, even though I'm no longer engaged.

"I guess that what makes me me. I care about my family and friends. That includes my worthless old man, Claudia, little Achika, and even you."

A smile came to her face. "Thank you for considering me a friend."

Again they sat in silence, but it was only temporary. "The way you remembered those Zentraedi, that's how you were able to provide an accurate count of ships when we were captured?"

Ranma nodded. "I never realized I had one until we came onto this ship."

"Wait a second! I didn't think photographic memory was something one develops."

"I only said I didn't realize it until we came on the ship," Ranma explained. "That doesn't I didn't have it. Before I started living with my mom, I dedicated my life to martial arts. In fact I'm considered a martial arts prodigy because of my ability to remember any move, any technique after just seeing it once and be able to either duplicate and adapt it or develop a defense to it within minutes."

Lisa remembered watching him perform his art, during that time when everything about him repulsed her. At that time, she was quite angry that he was "monopolizing" the gym when she and the others girls wanted to use it. Although she still took the time to admire the way his body moved.

But those memories were of another time. "So now you think you could do that because of your memory?"

With a nod, Ranma explained that once his mother forced scholastics on him, she was quick to recognize that he was as much a genius as her. But he had something she did not.

"A photographic memory," Lisa interrupted.

Ranma kept on as if not interrupted. As he continued, he went to say his mother tested her hypothesis. To do so, she taught him the school of kendo known to only his family, all of which he learned by watching only and one the first day. Then she had him read a few chapters of calculus and tested him on the material. Having never studied the concepts in calculus before, his score was perfect.

"But much in the same way that I don't want it known that I can change genders, I don't really want to advertise I have an eidetic memory. Knowing that makes me feel like an idiot over the many times I couldn't remember the simplest things."

"Oh."

Once again they returned to drinking in silence. This time they watched the workers, who had made it to the area for clean up. After watching them for that brief time, Lisa thought about the Zentraedi that recently defected.

"Could you imagine what those Zentraedi would think if they were in that position?" she said pointing to the workers.

"Probably how did I get this job?"

It was meant as a joke, though Lisa didn't hear it as such. Thus she gave him a swift in the shin.

"Oww! Wha cha do that for?"

"I'm being serious here, Ranma," Lisa countered. "Remember how their ship looked to be in such disrepair?"

With a nod from Ranma, Lisa speculated, "Just imagine how they would feel doing some of the jobs we find menial."

"Well, it would definitely be different than making war," Ranma commented.

"Oh! Are we starting to think like Kyle?" questioned Lisa. She received a dirty look, instantly.

"That sounded nothing like him. But isn't Kyle your department? I still don't see what you see in him?" Lisa thought nothing of him anymore. She had come to the realization that Kyle wasn't Karl, just an Asian look-a-like of her long dead crush. "Took ya long enough," stated Ranma. "Besides, there are better guys out there for you."

"They wouldn't happen to be any of your old boyfriends?"

Ranma didn't verbally respond to that, just glared. A glare from Ranma would have been quite intimidating to most martial artist. However Lisa couldn't stop laughing. She thought she could remember Claudia using that line on her months ago. Clearly Ranma couldn't take a joke when it concerned his dual gender situation.

Unfortunately the conversation and their time of relaxation ended at that moment. The klaxons went off. It wasn't often that the sirens went off prior to these two being informed. This meant the attack was a surprise. The two were quickly out of their seats and on their way to perform their respective duties. Before Ranma left the restaurant, he needed to make sure Lynn Jason was safe. Fortunately Jason knew what to do when the sirens went off and came running down the stairs to head for the shelters.

Satisfied Jason was heading to the shelters, Ranma took off running to the _Prometheus_.

* * *

"It appears to be one of the groups from before," announced Vanessa.

It was a small group, but it came from the sector that had been giving them tons of problems. But Gloval found this to be good. It wasn't another full out attack. Looking at the projected numbers, he ordered the launch of Skull and Ghost Squadrons. And within minutes of that order, those squadrons were up.

If only he knew the location of his First Officer and CAG. No sooner had he thought that, Lisa came running onto the bridge, and minutes later, Skull One launched off the deck of _Prometheus_.

* * *

"_**We interrupt programming to go to a Lynn Minmei press conference."**_

The news anchor quickly disappeared off screen and was replaced by Minmei sitting in a hospital chair. Kyle was in the background with his head bandaged. His torso was also bandaged from the surgery, but the media couldn't see it from underneath the hospital gown. Further in the background were Kyle's parents, tired yet happy for their son's health.

Minmei didn't want to be there. Once the media learned she'd been taken to the hospital, she knew it was an obligation due to her celebrity, although was it really necessary for the media to cover something as boring as leaving the hospital? She wasn't even hurt. The doctors had held her for stupid observations, since she had accompanied Kyle in the ambulance. And, at the moment, she didn't care less about him.

Unfortunately, the media couldn't/wouldn't be concerned that Minmei was displeased with them.

There was another place that she'd rather be. However she felt fortunate when Kyle wheeled himself to the forefront and went into one if his anti-war rhetoric. Fortunate only in the fact he was drawing attention away from her. If he could only do it when she was not around? It made her feel "guilty by association." She didn't want it to seem that she supported those views.

Then something she wasn't quite expecting happened. Maybe Minmei should have thought about, but she didn't.

"Wow, Minmei! Is that an engagement ring?"

No sooner had the reporter asked that, all the cameras turned their focus to the ring finger of Minmei's left hand. On it was a platinum band with rather expensive looking diamond. The diamond was big enough for them to believe it came from someone with money. With a limited number of available high profile men on the SDF-1, rumors of Kyle and Minmei as an item had started, and now they seemed valid in the eyes of the media.

Questions started coming at them. When did Kyle propose? How did he propose? What was Minmei's reaction? How long have the two been dating? When did they know they were in love? How much did the ring cost? When was the wedding?

The reporters, sensing they wouldn't get anything from Minmei, turned their attention to Kyle. Kyle was completely shocked, evident by his bug-eyed expression. That immediately invalidated their beliefs. But if it wasn't Kyle, who was it?

Finally Minmei spoke. "Yes, it is an engagement ring. It was given to me by my boyfriend of two years. That's all I'm going to say."

It wasn't a lot, and it brought up more questions. None of them knew Minmei had been dating anyone other than Lynn Kyle. Of course there were only other three people in the area that knew who it was.

ttt

Lisa was amazed how the world could change in a short period. When she woke up yesterday, the Zentraedi were the enemy. Now it turned out there were some that had come under the influence of SDF-1's culture.

When she went to bed last night Lynn Minmei was just a pop star that many young men lusted over. Now the entire ship was buzzing about the engagement of Miss Macross. What was interesting, no one had a clue who was set to become Mr. Lynn Minmei.

But Minmei's life wasn't on Lisa's mind this day. She was concerned about the Zentraedi onboard the ship. Concerned of what could happen if Colonel Maistroff sent a communiqué to the council. This was why she had gone to Captain Gloval's ready-room before the start of her shift.

"Enter," she heard when she knocked on the door. She went in and saw Gloval behind his desk reading his tablet. That was very common, so she paid it no mind, not knowing that it was the latest promotions listing.

"What can I help you with this morning, Lisa?" Gloval asked, having looked up.

"Sir, I'm concern what might happen to the refugees if the colonel gets a message to the council," Lisa replied.

"I know how you feel," stated Gloval. "But I'm not that concern the council will do anything."

Lisa was shocked that her captain would say such a thing. She was convinced that the council would immediately interfere by asking them to either hand them over when the next shipment of supplies was sent or, at the very least, order him to imprison them as prisoners of war before some type of tribunal could convene.

However Gloval was betting on the council not really caring about what happened on his ship, case in point, ignoring his constant request of allowing the civilians to disembark instead of offering them up as sacrifices to the Zentraedi in the event the SDF-1 was destroyed. Lisa couldn't have understood all the back politics going on at the time. She maybe his First Officer, but she didn't know that Maistroff was trying to prove Gloval unfit to command of the SDF-1 thus allowing the colonel to run the ship the way he believed the UEDC wanted.

"Though it wouldn't be you if what I just said stopped you," Gloval added.

With that, Lisa spoke about her belief that with the new information, she could convince the council to stop the hostilities and make some type of overture for peace. They not only had the information gained from her capture about the Zentraedi, but there was also added data from Dr. Lang's examination. How could they not seek something with what could possibly long lost galactic brothers and sisters?

Gloval listened and watched the passion with which she gave this plea. It was possible that she was correct. As much as he wished to relieve himself of the burden of 60,000 civilians, he couldn't see the council ever changing their minds. They were all for looking out for themselves and the power they had obtained. They were still angered at him for revealing the lie they had conceived, even though they allowed the supply transports.

And one of those in power had a child that was just as persistent and stubborn as him. There was no doubt that the daughter of Admiral Donald Hayes would not take no for an answer at this point in time.

After some deliberations, Gloval allowed Lisa to come up with a presentation to give to the council. Since it would not be possible for him to give it, like a responsible captain would, he gave the task to her. "You do know when you go, there's the possibility you won't be allowed to return," commented Gloval.

"I'm willing to take that chance, if it means a stoppage in this war," replied Lisa.

With that said, the meeting ended.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Ranma asked as he opened the door to Commander Peterson's office.

Peterson looked up from the _Boston Globe_ and at the clock. Noting the time, he folding up the paper and prepared to leave his office as if he had somewhere to be. He did this but had yet to acknowledge Ranma. Finally he motioned Ranma in. "Let's make this quick," he said as Ranma took a seat in front of his desk.

With Ranma sitting down, Peterson threw him a small box. The motion in which it was done flashed a memory of the time Ranma gained the rank of lieutenant (junior grade). It became a quite prophetic memory when he open the box and found a gold oak leaf pin that signified the rank of lieutenant commander. For a moment, he couldn't believe that in close to two years he had achieved the same rank as his uncle.


	21. Marriage revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 21: Marriage

* * *

"…Ame noni oi tsumetai kaze fukigen na kumo  
Madogiwa no chiisa na saboten  
Konna hini demo kimi tokitara mizu o ageteru  
Afureru kurai mizu o ageteru

"Koibito toiu kibikini subete yudanete  
Kaerimiru kotomo nakute  
Kimi ga sobani itekureru kotomo  
Oshiminai ainimo nareteitaindane..."

Ranma walked down the street, singing without a care in a world, on the way to meet up with friends and family. The only times when Ranma was like this was when female, and she had been female for a couple of days now. It was a change from those first few months after the higher ups learned about the gender changing curse. When she finding out she was fully capable of having children, she didn't feel as comfortable with her body as before the last days in Nerima, as she was hesitant around other men. It was Nabiki that helped her regain that comfort by informing her that she could just consider herself a lesbian. After protesting, saying she wasn't gay, she realized technically that was her sexual preference.

It wasn't often that Ranma went about speaking, much less singing, in her native tongue. As for the song, she couldn't remember where she heard it, but it had somehow gotten popped into her head that morning. She was certain it had to be a pre-crash song since songs in Japan were more and more in English to appeal to the English-speaking crowd. The nationalistic side installed by Genma didn't like this fact, but then again, English has become the dominate language in the past decade.

"...Aitai karatte koujitsu ni sasotta eiga o  
Hasha ideita hibi o  
Doushite wasurete itandaru  
Nare aino kankini unzari suru hazusa…"

Not far from Ranma. there someone who couldn't be as carefree as her. At the moment, he was being cornered in an alley by three burly men. Being meek for a Zentraedi, Karita knew he was in for another beating. He was beginning to wonder why he decided to follow Rico and the others onto the SDF-1. In the short time that the defectors had been onboard, he had been picked on constantly. Once it was known to the general public, certain Micronians felt the need to relieve their frustration on being stuck in space. However they never seem to target any of the other defectors, just Karita.

The three men took this as their opportunity to vent their frustrations. Where Karita thought they were just another group picking him, they didn't see it as such. He was just the first one to come along. Since the defectors were being sheltered near the RDF base, they had staked out this alley and plucked Karita when he passed, heading towards town.

"…Boku ga fureta yuubi sakini sotto  
Yawarakai toge ga sasaru  
Kimi ga miseta sasayakana sain  
Miotoshite shimatteitayo  
Ima goro... itai…"

Ranma quieted her singing upon hearing what sounded like flesh hitting flesh. Since street-fighting just didn't happen on the SDF-1, Ranma started following the sounds to see if a helping hand was needed. She hoped one was needed because she was eager to put her skill to the test. The last time she actually used martial arts in a fight was close to a year ago.

Her acute hearing led her to the mouth of an alley and quickly ascertained that it was a three on one situation, and the one wasn't even putting up a fight. Upon looking closer, she recognized one man as one of the defectors. As couldn't remember his name, but she had pegged him as not much of a fighter, which a couple of days ago seemed preposterous.

Not one to let this bullying to continue, Ranma announced her presence. She struck a sexy posed (helped by the fact she wore a skirt) and asked if she could help out. She knew that her mere presence would shock them into stopping. It had worked all the time at Furinken. And as predicted, it did. In fact they forgot about the Zentraedi, especially when another part of their anatomy started to do the thinking. It knew it was quite fortunate as it wasn't often a girl this extremely hot would place herself in a situation like this.

Thanks to knowledge passed down from mother to daughter, Ranma easily recognized this. It was like leading moths to a flame how they just natural gravitated to her. And like the saying goes, "Don't get too close to fire or you'll get burned," they got within Ranma's effective range, and she torn them to pieces. They didn't even know what hit them as they lay on the ground.

With her work done, she rushed over to the Zentraedi to see if he was okay because he looked like a mess after what those three did to him. Kneeling next to the Zentraedi, she checked him over while asking if he was okay. from the looks of it, he was fortunate to be alive. Though that didn't mean he was okay be any sort of the imagination. His breathing was very labored, and he was having a tough time keeping his eyes open.

"Hang in there. I'm gonna get ya to the hospital," Ranma announced.

Karita could barely understand English, so he hadn't a clue what was spoken. And since he was laboring to keep his eyes open, he was shocked when he finally caught a glimpse of who came to his aid. It was the most beautiful Micronian female he had ever seen. To admit to something like was sacrilege, considering Minmei was the end all in Micronian beauty. But there was something about the fiery haired "goddess" that had come to him. He could not help but to blush.

Ranma saw his cheeks turn red as she picked him up. She was surprised how light he was. The fact that she caught him blushing, she thought was really cute. Knowing what she knew about Zentraedi society and its segregated nature, she was probably the first woman that this guy had ever come into contact. And it was obvious that he found her attractive.

* * *

Claudia didn't know how she should feel today. It was her second day back from maternity leave, and she had to see her best friend off. She understood what Lisa was doing and wholeheartedly supported it. However she had this feeling that this would be the last time she would see the godmother of her child.

Lisa had that same feeling as she walked with Claudia to the shuttle deck of the _Prometheus_. But she knew she had to convince the council that this war was pointless. She had a plan on how she was going to do that. It hinged on convincing her father. For as long a she remembered, Admiral Donald Hayes was an influential member of the United Earth Defense Council. If he was convinced, the whole would be convinced. Nevertheless by doing this mission, she understood she risked never returning to her station on the SDF-1.

"Have you told Ranma about this?" Claudia asked out of the blue.

Lisa paused as they walked up the stairs leading to the shuttle hatch. She knew there was something had forgotten.

The pause was all Claudia needed. "You know, you could at least let him you're leaving for Earth."

Lisa knew that. She had meant to mention it when they had tea the other day. The topic was on her mind since she had been working on her report since talked to Captain Gloval. "I just give him a call before we take off."

"You should do that," commented Claudia. "You know he cares about you."

"How do you know that?" In a way she had a feeling about that. But she wasn't sure that it wasn't her feelings she was reading.

"Nodoka told me."

"Well I can see why he would. We are friends; at least I like to think we are."

"That's true, but I mean there might be something more to it." Before Lisa could speak to the comment, Claudia continued, "Nodoka said there's something about him that she hasn't seen since he found out that his fiancée had moved on with her life."

"And you think it might be because of me?"

"You or that Nabiki girl. You know she been getting awfully cozy to him lately. I think Nodoka said they've gone of three dates now."

Claudia said this to see if she could get a reaction out of Lisa. She would have like to see an ounce of jealousy in her. She couldn't have realized how close she was to the truth about Nabiki. The young girl from Japan had recently stepped up her efforts. In fact there had been more than three dates, most recently while Ranma was in the female (as Nabiki attempted to prove she didn't care about Ranma's gender-based curse).

However a reaction Claudia did not get. Instead, Lisa looked at her from the top of the platform and asked why they were on this subject. She had more important things on her mind that didn't pertain to some handsome guy who didn't need to be bothered dopey girl like her. Claudia just had to frown at realizing the all business/no nonsense had just appeared.

"I just wanted to get my mind off the fact my best friend is leaving for Earth with a great possibility of never returning," explained Claudia.

* * *

Ranma was late in meeting up with her mother and Nabiki, but they understood once she explained why. Once together, they went to the only ice parlor to spring up in Macross since they left Earth. Ranma treated herself to ice cream as it had become her favorite sweet. It was times like these that she jokingly remembered when it wasn't manly to be seen eating ice cream.

Every time she heard Ranma make a comment like that, Nodoka had a chuckle. It was clear Ranma's belief was due to his father's upbringing. It was just one of many things that made her wonder what it was that she saw in him that led to her losing her virginity, becoming pregnant, marriage, and the birth of her only child. Genma's such a walking contradiction, a "do as I preach, not as I live" man.

"That doesn't hold much weight, Ranma," commented Nabiki. "Not with the number of men that have walked in and out since we've been here."

"How do you know that they're here for ice cream and not to ogle at us?" Ranma asked in response. "They aren't being discrete by walking passed us on the way to the counter."

Nabiki was surprised how observant Ranma was. However she failed to remember it was in Ranma nature to be aware of her surroundings.

When Ranma finished, she expressed her satisfaction while explaining she needed to ice cream to help her get over seeing her gynecologist. She had never felt comfortable having another guy look at her down there. It almost made Nabiki laugh to think that was the reason she was there. However it reminded her that she had yet to see a gynecologist since arriving. How was it possible that she let that slip passed her?

"Oh, the evils we must go through for a healthy body and to produce healthy babies," Nodoka dramatized.

Ranma nodded in agreement.

"Ah, Ranma, I don't think you understand what your mother meant, if you're agreeing," stated Nabiki.

Nabiki knew of the times when Nodoka would mention off the cuff that she wasn't getting any younger and hoped for grandchildren. Unfortunately Ranma got the reference. To her, her mother was still too young for grandchildren. In fact, she wouldn't mind a sibling or two. That would bring to mind her mother dating and being sexually active, which was always a mistake because no child wanted to think of the parents having sex.

"Ranma, you have to understand your mother anxious for you to start a family," explained Nabiki. Sometimes she wished she didn't have to interpret for Ranma. She thought she was a genius, though she still found it had to believe that Ranma was a genius in something other than martial arts. It was hard to believe that Ranma had just qualified for a college degree in engineering, especially knowing how badly he was at Furinken High School.

"Well, of course I'm gonna start a family, just as soon as I find someone else special. Mom already knows that."

"Actually, what I'm saying is that maybe you should experience the joys of motherhood," Nodoka said. She was joking. Too bad Ranma didn't get the joke; evident by the classic spit-take Nabiki received from the water Ranma had been drink. That was enough to cause Nodoka to laugh at her own joke.

"I thought you said you wouldn't make any comments about me getting pregnant?" questioned Ranma.

"I'm sorry," Nodoka apologized while laughing, "but Nabiki set it up so nicely that I could not resist."

Now Nabiki was confused. She picked up on Nodoka wanting Ranma to have kids. After realizing she fell for the joke again, Ranma explained that it was her mother's way of saying that she should passed Akane and start dating. It had been a recent discussion thanks to Minmei surprising them by getting engaged to Rick.

Hearing that Ranma should start dating, Nabiki felt hurt because she thought that they were dating.

The conversation ended with the sound of Ranma's cell phone ringing. "Commander Saotome here."

"_…_"

"Oh, hi, Lisa. What's up?"

"_…_"

"Yeah, but hopefully it's only for a few days longer."

"_…_"

"Leaving! But why? Where?"

"_…_"

"That's nice and all, but why you?"

"_…_"

"What? Wait. At least let me…"

With that Ranma put her phone away. There was a noticeable change in her attitude. It didn't take a rocket scientist to explain to the other women what just happened. Even so they didn't have to speculate as Ranma soon told them that Lisa Hayes was leaving for Earth to convince the UEDC into peace talks with the Zentraedi to stop the war and get the people of the SDF-1. Then she passed the message that Lisa didn't believe she'd be coming back because her father was on the council and would most likely prevent her return.

The other two women came to two different conclusions after hearing that last statement. Nabiki saw it as an open opportunity. With her "chief rival" now out of the way, she had a clear path to Ranma's heart liked she had hoped when she made the decision to join him. For Nodoka, she could see how hurt her daughter was. Though she mostly knew of Lisa through Claudia, she knew the younger woman had grown into having a friendship with Ranma. She didn't know if she had achieved Akane-status or Ukyo-status, but she was friend nonetheless, and her child didn't take well to losing friends.

* * *

Lisa's flight to Earth went about quietly. In fact things were quite boring, allowing Lisa to review her report once again. Lisa would much prefer that this to be boring and quiet. It also meant the Zentraedi were leaving this transport shuttle along.

That's not to say she would have to worry. Surrounding the shuttle was a team from Skull Squadron, led by Max Sterling, flying his new, blue VF-1J. When Ranma received his promotion, he decided to give some promotions himself and promoted Max up to lieutenant. Along with that he gave all the senior pilots new VF-1Js, a reward for staying alive. With the promotion, Max was also given a couple of subordinates. It was the same thing Roy had done for Ranma not so long ago. Ranma was hesitant to give Max his own squadron at this time, but the writing was pretty much on the wall that Max would have to get his own command in the near future.

As quiet and boring as it was, there was no way it would last for long. Along the route, a flight of fighters from the Botoru Battalion was set to ambush anything coming to or going from the SDF-1. Khyron had sent them out regularly, not knowing if or when anything would take place. It was just pure luck that the soldiers he sent out would soon see some action. The flight unknowingly had luck on their side, as the shuttle heading towards them held someone that was a serious player in this war.

The fighters moved in swiftly, guns blazing. A Veritech was destroyed before anyone of them could take evasive maneuvers, sending a shockwave that rocked the shuttle. If Lisa didn't know that this was to be a dangerous mission, she knew now. Her next reminder was the pilot securing the ship. The first thing Lisa noticed was the armored shielding that descended over the windows. Then her seat was encased by armor, turning it into an escape pod in the event the shuttle was fatally damaged.

Had they known a Micronian ace was within this escort, there's a chance the Zentraedi would have considered this a suicide mission. However none of them knew that Maximilian Sterling had a new Veritech, sporting new colors. They soon found out as death sentences were doled out by the blue with white trim Veritech. But even Max understood the escort was seriously outnumbered.

"Sir, Lt. Sterling is requesting some backup," Claudia announced.

There was a gasp that went through the bridge. Max's abilities were well known to the girls on the bridge. IF things were bad enough for him to call for backup, what hope did Lisa have of surviving and making it to Earth?

"Get me Commander Saotome," Captain Gloval ordered immediately.

"I'm not sure that's possible, captain. Lieutenant Commander Saotome's experiencing one of those moments," stated Claudia.

Claudia was trying to be vague about the fact Ranma was currently female and didn't have flight status. The girls looked at her as if something was wrong. Thought the knowledge of Ranma's condition was known to the higher ups, it had been deemed need to know amongst the rest of the RDF. Thus the other girls were considered not needing to know, since there had never been a skirmish whenever Ranma was female.

She recommended Rick, who was clearly capable of doing the job. But Gloval wasn't going to have it. Gloval considered Lisa the daughter he would never have, ever since her father "hand delivered" her to his command. There was no way of talking him out of having his best pilot out there to save her.

* * *

Ranma put the ice cream spoon down, stood from the table and announced out of the blue, "C'mon. Let's go shopping!" This surprised Nodoka, who generally had to drag her daughter, kicking and screaming, at the mere mention of shopping. Ranma's irrational action caused her to wonder. Lisa must have meant something to her child. She didn't mind that for she thought of Lisa as a nice girl. Though Nodoka hoped this didn't signal a return to how Ranma acted after Akane's marriage.

Nabiki also thought Ranma's behavior seemed erratic. What guy in their right mind wanted to go shopping on their own free will?

Ranma was quick to gage the situation. "What's wrong with wanting to go clothes shopping?" she remarked. "So what if I want to do something because a friend is leaving, knowing that she may never be allowed to return? And why is it that I can't keep more than one friend who won't leave or think I'm the cause of their faults or simply see me as marrying material? Is there something wrong with me? I'm a nice guy. Sure I might do or say something idiotic, but don't we all?"

Nodoka and Nabiki were stunned, watching Ranma's outcry. They witnessed two tracks of moisture flowing down Ranma's face. It was rare to see her cry because Ranma wasn't the type of person to let her emotions control her. Though Nabiki did remember see her cry when she walked on the passenger deck of the Nerima train station on Akane's wedding day.

Seeing her child cry was too much for Nodoka. It was a reminder that even though she was a genius, she has made some stupid mistakes. It reminded her of the pain Ranma said he went through during his ten years apart from her. A pain a mother should have been there to comfort. She had always debated if those ten years were necessary for Ranma to be the martial artist that he was?

Ranma's face brightened when her mother said she was ready to go shopping. She smiled and wiped away the unexpected tears when Nabiki said she would be glad to join them. That small gesture meant a lot to Ranma. Ten minute later, Nabiki was rethinking her decision. She figuratively picked herself off the floor, having succumbed to the Hasegawa sense of humor. She believed that because she had never seen Mr. Saotome pull anything like the two women with her. They had already bought a couple of skirts and blouses in enough time for Nabiki to believe that Ms. Hasegawa might have thought this could happen one day.

Presently they were in the women's boutique. It was there that Ranma had held up a black teddy and asked her mother if it would help get a man into bed. Nodoka told her she was positive that it would. In fact she had presented herself to her date in something similar the other night, and that pretty much made the deal. The statement had stunned Nabiki. She had thought of Ranma's reaction to hearing her mother's sex life. Nabiki knew she would be squeamish knowing her father was sexually active.

It went downhill from that point. Nodoka had seen Nabiki with her mouth gaping open and asked if she was okay. No response allowed Ranma to astutely comment that Nabiki was shocked to hear that Nodoka had sex. Both Ranma and Nodoka laughed at that, and Nodoka promptly told her that she was joking. She wasn't dating any man on the ship. Instead she just used Ranma's sex toy. The thought of Ranma with a sex toy shut Nabiki's system down. Her system didn't restart until she heard the hard laughter from the Hasegawa woman.

"That wasn't funny, you know," commented Nabiki as she brushed herself off.

"Awe, you're just taking thing too serious," said Ranma. "I don't own or even know what one looks like."

The laughter ended when Ranma's duty cell phone rang. It seemed pretty odd since Ranma wasn't on duty for the time being.

"Commander Saotome here."

"Ranma, we have a situation."

"That's nice, Claudia, but Rick's in command."

"But, commander, this is concerning Commander Hayes. She's in trouble."

Ranma hesitated at that for a second. Then she started to explain that she wasn't on the flight roster. But that was interrupted by the sound of Captain Gloval's voice.

"Lieutenant Commander Saotome, I don't care about your situation. This is an order. You have five minutes to get to the _Prometheus_ and quell the threat against Commander Hayes."

"Yes, sir. Will do, sir." And Ranma hung up the phone. She looked at her mother and Nabiki, and she had ordered rescue Lisa. The two women understood, thus bringing their outing to an end.

* * *

There weren't any women Veritech pilots. It wasn't that the Robotech Defense Force had something against female pilots. In fact, many of the Cat's Eye and shuttle pilots were women, and many of them wanted into the Veritech Corps. However there had been resistances from the politicians in the United Earth Government during the formation of the RDF whenever the topic of women in combat was broached. So very unofficial and unwritten, those politicians let it known to senior air officers that women were not only allowed to fly Veritechs. They were pretty lucky that many of the officers in command positions held those same thoughts.

Ranma made it to the _Prometheus_ within five minutes, and at the moment, a full-fledge woman. She walked towards the pilot's locker room without any care. She stepped out of the locker room feeling rather uncomfortable. It wasn't because of any pilots ogling her as she changed. That Ranma could easily fix, in more ways than one, such as utilizing the locker in her office. She was uncomfortable because her flight suit was both too big and too tight in a certain place. It reminded her of the time she had to wear some of Akane's clothes those first days she arrived at the Tendo dojo. Add to that the fact she was shorter, one could imagine the effort it took for her to adjust the sleeves to make them look slightly normal. She felt lucky she could just tuck the pant legs into her boot, which were also slightly bigger. She definitely needed to requisition a female flight suit in case this wasn't a one-time occurrence.

Besides all that, she felt at ease making her way through the hanger, wearing her helmet to hide the red hair. Understanding the urgency of the situation, there was no way Skull One would make it into action before something serious happened, though she did know exactly what could get her where she needed as rapidly as possible. Dr. Lang and his Robotech scientists had been already working on the next generation of Veritechs. In the meantime, having recognized one of the things the current generation lacked was speed, they had developed a booster system that not only added speed, but also extra armament. The only thing wrong, it was still in the trial stage, still waiting some type of combat evaluation.

Dr. Lang was in luck because it was just what Ranma needed. She walked over to the modified VF-1J and got as far as climbing up the ladder before someone stopped. "Hey, what are you doing there?" asked one of the project technicians. That's all the tech was able to say before noticing the gold oak leaves of a lieutenant commander and the name Saotome. It was known on the hanger deck that Commander Saotome was being sent out on a rescue mission. The tech made the realization that he was going to take out the prototype.

Things were instantly set in motion before Ranma could offer up an explanation on her appearance. Once it didn't look like one was needed, she situated herself in the cockpit while a flight crew busied itself in arming the Veritech. Soon Ranma was on the deck, waiting for Sammie to pass along what sector of the combat. Sammie was confused to hear a female's voice coming out of Ranma's mouth but passed along the information. Ranma was quick to ask if she was correct because she had no clue of that location. Sammie didn't know how to response because that was exactly where the shuttle was. Claudia came to the rescue by asking if she had given Ranma the new codebook. Sammie panicked because she had indeed forgotten to give Ranma the new codebook. Although she had a valid excuse, since Ranma hadn't been scheduled for duty. She was planning on giving it to him once he returned for duty.

Hearing this over the tac-net, Ranma asked, "What did Claudia mean by new codebook?" But an answer to the question wasn't coming as Sammie quickly passed along the sector using the codes that she knew. With that information in hand, the experimental Veritech launched off the deck and proceeded towards Lisa's location at a higher rate of speed than previously thought possible.

Back on the bridge of the SDF-1, Claudia was admonishing Sammie for not passing along the codebooks to all the pilots, no matter what status the pilots were in. "You could have cost Lisa her life with that move."

Just the thought of that made Sammie feel down, since she looked at Lisa as a mentor, even with a year in age difference.

* * *

Out in the combat zone, Max was starting realize the advantages to flying and fighting with Ranma. This had been an escort flight of six. Now it was there were only two left. The Zentraedi numbers were too much for six to handle. Max had his share of kills, but much of his time was spent keeping the shuttle intact while watching the back of the other Veritech in this flight. He could imagine the reputation he would have if he returned by himself after a mission with him in command.

His hopes were raised when he received word that Ranma was on his way to assist. Though he couldn't get them too high, as it was just going to be him, and they were presently a great distance away from the SDF-1. So it came as a great surprise when a white object streaked through the Zentraedi attackers in no more than a minute and a half after receiving the communiqué. Destruction followed as several Zentraedi fighters exploded as if hit by missiles.

_What the hell was that!?_ thought Max.

His question was answered when the white streak decelerated and produced the form of a Veritech in Guardian mode with boosters on its back and additional armor on its arms and legs. He instantly realized it was the new Veritech that the Robotech scientists were working on.

Inside said Veritech, Ranma didn't have time to adjust to the forces put on her body by such a quick deceleration. She didn't have time to notice the destruction she caused with her arrival. All she noticed was the peril of the situation, as there seemed to be too many Zentraedi for just one shuttle and its escort.

Max watched his commander work. He worked with deadly efficiency. Not a shot wasted. Not a missile missed the mark. This was the first time Max took the time to observe him and understood why Ranma was given all the praises. It was like he was meant to pilot a Veritech. Much of the same had been said about Ranma's uncle.

As Max watched, he started to understand some of the things Ranma said in their simulator sessions because they were translated in how he fought. Ranma's movements were quite unpredictable. Where it seemed logical to use the Battloid to take out a fighter, he would use the laser turret of the fighter to punch a hole through the engines. When it seemed best to be in Fighter mode, he would fight in Guardian.

This showed what was different between the fighting styles Max and Ranma took into combat. The majority of Max's kills were while in Battloid mode. He just watched Ranma take out fifteen in all three.

"Ah, Max, you know you could always help," came a voice that broke Max away from his observations. Max looked at the tac-net, saw Ranma, and understood what he was getting at. He needed to get back into action.

One thing stuck in the back of Max's head. Did Ranma sound like a woman?

With three Veritechs working and working off the confidence of having the CAG in action, it didn't take too long to finish off those who didn't retreat.

"Say, why don't you two head back," said Ranma. "I'll take over from here." Though it was said as a statement, it was understood as an order. So the remains of the escort detail banked away and made their returns to the SDF-1. With them gone, Ranma slotted herself onto the port side of the shuttle.

It was two minutes after the ending of hostilities before the shuttle secured itself from battle stations. As the shielding that surrounded her seat descended, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief that she made it out of that alive. She really had to the belief that leaving the SDF-1 was dangerous to her health. This was the fourth time, and three of those times, she was placed in a life threatening situation. She was grateful that Ranma had been there to rescue her two of those times and appreciated that one of his top subordinates was there this time.

As the shield over the windows came down, she noticed a different Veritech off to the side. Even before wondering who it was, she was informed that Commander Saotome was on the radio for her. It now seemed that he was three out of three in saving her. Which was exactly what she said when she got on the line.

"Well, I've had practice."

Lisa was surprised to hear the female voice. She never would have thought that they would allow Ranma on flight duty while he was a she. Ranma said the same thing but stated that Lisa was a special circumstance as this mission came down from Captain Gloval himself.

"Though don't be surprised of this is the first of many. And I'm gonna need another flight suit, for this one is rather constricting in some areas."

That got a laugh from Lisa, who thought that even her flight suit would be constrictive for the well endowed Ranma. Though the laughter ended the moment Ranma got serious.

"Did it have to be you that took this mission?"

"Huh!?"

"Couldn't anyone else return to Earth to do whatever it is you have to do?"

"There isn't anyone onboard that knows this information as well as I do," Lisa replied. "And if I succeed, this war will end, and we could return home."

"That would be nice. It's just that I hate to see you go," commented Ranma. "And there's a chance it will probably be a long time before I'll see you again. Your father won't let you return. It's just like all my friends. They seemingly always leave."

Lisa wanted to let out an "awe" on hearing Ranma's heart-felt remarks. "What about Minmei? It appears that she always there."

"Minmei's different. I'm always leaving her and got in trouble to visit her." Ranma let out a little chuckle for all the times he snuck away from Genma before they went off to China and returned to the Tendo Dojo. She stopped with the sound of an alarm letting her know of the approaching Earth atmosphere.

"Well, this is as far as I can go," stated Ranma.

"How about a cup of tea when I return?" asked Lisa.

"I'd like that. Take care. Remember I won't be there if you need some type of rescue down there."

"And you take care. I don't want you dying on me before I return."

"Then you're going to have to hope Sammie doesn't do something like she did today. Apparently there's a new book that I didn't get."

That was the last that either would say to the other, not knowing when the next time they meet. Though they both knew when that happened, the war would be over.

* * *

Donald Hayes stood next to a SUV, parked next to a runway located on the frozen tundra of Alaska above RDF Alaska Base, which was situated deep underground. Though there was a ton of paperwork on his deck, he wasn't concerned about it. He was too giddy to be there, as weird as it may be for a grown man.

Why was he this way? His only child was coming, returning from space and off that god-awful space fortress. He knew she was coming down to give the council some type briefing, but if it were up to him, Lisa Hayes wouldn't be leaving the Earth.

"Sir, word from the tower. The shuttle will arrive fifteen minutes late because of a skirmish," relayed his adjutant.

Admiral Hayes nodded his head, acknowledging what was said.

"Sir, would you like to come inside?"

Hayes didn't mind standing outside. It was early April-early spring in the portion of Alaska located within the Arctic Circle, but he didn't mind the cold or the receding snow. This was only because of his daughter. Less than fifteen minute later, he was rewarded with the sight of the approaching shuttle.

He was at the top of the ramp to greet Lisa. He was mildly shocked when she greeted him as a soldier would greet a superior officer. What he wanted was a father/daughter moment. However what he received stemmed from the last time they spoke, nearly a year ago.

* * *

Max walked out the door to his room. It had been a long day, starting off with escort duty, which led to him writing his first letters to the families of those who died performing said duty. He knew he wasn't obligated to do so. Ranma no doubt would do it later on today. But he felt the need since he led the escort.

As he walked down the hall, he came across a bored looking Rick Hunter. It was one of the few times that he'd seen him out of uniform as he watched TV in the day room. This didn't seem right to Max, especially since Rick was recently engaged. He should at least be out with his fiancée. At least that's what Max would do. Then again, Max had to remember who Rick's fiancée was.

"How's it goin'?" asked Max.

"Bored," was Rick simple reply. "There's absolutely nothing on. No interesting movies, no sporting event replays, no reruns. It's all speculations about Minmei's fiancé. Today they did reports from the different jewelers to find my identity."

"I guess they'll find out soon then."

"Not likely. Ring's a family heirloom."

That said, Max asked if Rick wanted to join him in town, which Rick did since it was better than what he was doing now. Taking one of the squadron jeeps, they drove into town.

"Why don't you just let it known?" asked Max.

"It's mostly because Minmei is tired of having her private life invaded," replied Rick.

"Ah! The price of being famous."

Rick said that was the problem. Minmei no longer wanted to pay that price. Max had to laugh at that. He knew that most everyone on the ship would love to be in Minmei's position. And here was Rick saying she no longer wanted it.

"It probably would be different if we were on Earth. She would be able to get away and take some time off. But here, the only time away she has is when she either in my room or her penthouse."

"However, would she be famous if we were on Earth?" inquired Max.

That was a question that was left unanswered, as Max pulled up next to the arcade. Rick gave him a look that asked why were they there. Max paid it no attention as he just hopped out of the jeep and made way into the building. Not wanting to look like an idiot while sitting in the vehicle, Rick soon joined him.

Rick entered to the sounds of an arcade - motor engines, jet engines, gun fire, flesh pounding, and the enthusiasm. Even though it had been years since the last time he was in an arcade, the sounds never changed. He looked at the games being played. Some of them were 3D based. Some were based on the motions of the gamer. Still some required a joystick to play.

Max was in his elements. Unlike Rick, whose life was about planes and flying, Max's life revolved around video games, especially the arcade. In fact it was in this arcade where he met one Ben Dixon on Macross Island.

"So what do you want play?" asked Max.

When Rick didn't give an immediate reply, he mentioned that there was a game that was similar to the Veritech simulator. That got a reply as Rick said if he wanted to play a simulator, he would go to the simulator. Max was taken aback by the reply.

"How about that football game over there?" suggested Rick, pointing to a machine to his far left.

Max hesitantly agreed. Though he was a gamer, he wasn't much into sports games. He proved that to Rick by quickly losing. After that he made his way over to the Veritech game. Rick, on the other hand, continued to play the football game before moving on to some of the other sports games.

Rick didn't catch up with Max until an hour later. By this time his mood was more enjoyable. It wasn't like spending time with his fiancée or flying his fanjet, but he could understand the enjoyment factor that the arcade provided. He found Max playing the Veritech game with trays and trays of coins by his side. With the number of games he played, Rick could probably have the same number of trays, but he didn't care. He couldn't see the use of having more money that he wouldn't be spending anyway. By the look of the number of trays, he speculated that the owner sometimes regretted providing this option for his games.

"Say, Max, wanna grab something to eat?" asked Rick.

Hearing Rick's voice was a slight distraction, but Max was able to continue without must problem. He ended his game and said yes to the question. But first he needed to turn his coins in. He no longer needed them since they were about leave.

They were walking down from the upper level of the arcade when Max came to a sudden stop. If Rick hadn't been paying attention, he would have bumped into him, most likely causing them to fall on the stairs. So naturally Rick wanted to know why they had stopped so abruptly.

"It's her," Max simply replied. He gestured out onto the floor to make Rick look out into the crowd. It wasn't hard for Rick to pick out who Max was talking about.

"Of all the women I've seen on this ship, she is one of two that I'd consider the most beautiful. But every time I try to make a move, she seemingly disappears."

Looking out to who Max was talking about, Rick had to agree with his fellow pilot. The woman in question had a cream colored skin, long green hair, and exotic looking red eyes. Just seeing her in a sitting posture, she could tell she had long legs, quite shapely thanks to the skintight pants she wore. He would have to concur with Max assessment that she was one of the most beautiful women on the SDF-1.

"Well, ya know, seize this opportunity," commented Rick.

It didn't look like she was going to be leaving anytime soon as she was playing the same Veritech game. However Max wasn't making any moves towards her. It was like he was frozen in place. The same thing happened whenever he saw the red-haired beauty. It was also the reason why this green haired beauty would get away. If it weren't for a nudge from Rick, she probably would have gotten away again.

Miriya was spending yet another day at this Micronian training center. She had only found it a Micronian month, and now she knew how they were able to produce the type of pilot she sought. If only they knew that these training machines were providing her with excellent knowledge of their Veritech fighters. This knowledge and information would be valuable to her squadron once she returned. And with this information, it would mark the end of the Micronian ace.

However the one interesting thing about these machines, they provided her with the thing the Micronians called money. Before she came on the battle fortress, Miriya had no concept of money. The Zentraedi had no need for it. But the Micronians lived by it. For months, she only had a couple of sets of clothes that she had to steal. But since finding this place, she no longer had to steal.

She was interrupted by the sound of yet another Micronian male. After all this time she spent on the battle fortress, it still annoyed her all the times when these foolish males came up to her. She wanted nothing to do with them.

"I-I c-couldn't help but notice that you appeared that you're quite good at this," the Micronian male said. "Would you mind if I join you in a game?"

This was typical nowadays, and she took pleasure in showing them who was the better warrior. Oftentimes, the Micronian males would offer their money to go against her. "Sure," she replied very nonchalantly.

Rick watched this and just shook his head. Couldn't Max ask her to do something else? Subsequently he had to remind himself that this was a guy who just spent the past hour playing a game based on something he did for a living. It was almost like Max didn't know how to approach this girl. And this was a thought about a guy who was rumored to have bagged Sammie Porter and Vanessa Leeds, two women that many pilots wished to bed.

Max smiled at his green haired beauty as he suggested they started at the second highest level. Looking at the amount of trays around her, he believed she was at the same level as him, which was quite remarkable considering he didn't know of many women who liked playing this game. She agreed, and after a mini-Minmei came out to "gong" a cymbal, the two began a game.

The game didn't last long as Max quickly dispatched the green haired woman. Rick shook his head as he couldn't believe that Max would make such a mistake. That clearly wasn't the best way to get the woman's attention, which Max quickly realized and asked if she would like to play again.

Agitate at how easily the Micronian beat her, Miriya agreed to the rematch. This time he wanted to go to the top level. She readily agreed to that. She had never allowed an opponent to last five seconds at the top level. In fact, she was able to perform better at that level than any other on the machine.

To show the difference between the two playing levels, at the start of the game, a three dimensional dome formed above the tabletop screen, adding a 3D feel to the game and allowing those nearby a better view to watch.

Unlike the previous game, this time it wasn't quick. The two went after it was great ferocity. Miriya felt she had the Micronian on the ropes various times before he seemed to slip out of trouble. Before either of them realized it, they unknowingly fell into the same pattern that was their only combat. Max didn't notice it as he played the game on instinct. However it took Miriya ten seconds to realize it. Since she was able to remember all of her battles, she quickly recognized things were progressing the same way.

Unlike that day, she wasn't given the opportunity of escape. So she couldn't do anything as her red colored Veritech disintegrated into nothingness. She gave an audible gasp when it was over. The gasp had a double meaning to it. First she was disgusted at the way she was finished. However she instantly believed that she was looking at the Micronian that was responsible for her being onboard this battle fortress. Because of that, she became angered over the fact she had been bested by this male for the third time. What made things worst, he didn't have the look of a great warrior, especially wearing glasses. She had learned that glasses were needed to help vision.

Just looking at him smiling as if he was innocent of his actions angered her so much that she just had to leave. So she collected her trays and prepared to leave.

Max watched her cash in her coins and realized that he had to do something quickly before she left. He didn't want her to get away. He wanted to know her name and everything about her. He got out of his chair and stopped her before she made it out of the door, grabbing on to her left shoulder.

"Hey, wait. Ah, I hope there are no hard feelings. I mean, it was just a friendly game."

Miriya didn't reply, mostly because she didn't know the concept of friendly game.

Max got nervous at the glare she gave him that he hurriedly asked her out. Hearing that this male was just the same as the other Micronian male angered her more. Then she realized that she could use this to her advantage, so she agreed. Max was overjoyed and asked when he should pick her up. When she was hesitant to provide an answer, he suggested that they met in the park around eight. Miriya agreed to that idea.

With the arrangements finalized, Max released his hold and let her leave. She was almost out when Max realized he hadn't gotten her name.

"By the way, my name's Maximillian Sterling. What's your?"

Miriya turned around to Max, a look of annoyance on her face, and said, "Miriya Parino. Is there anything else? No. Then good bye."

Max paid no attention to the tone in which the reply given. He was on Cloud 9. He had finally caught up with one his dream women, gotten a date, and knew her name.

Off to the side, Rick could do nothing but hide his face in his hands. It was way too embarrassing to watch his friend interact with this woman.

* * *

The elevator doors opened to reveal a tired looking Lynn Minmei. All the public appearances were starting to wear on her. _Why was she still doing them?_ was a question that went through her mind on a daily basis. Also she began to wonder when they were going to hold another Miss Macross pageant. It was starting make one believe that the whole event was staged.

She would have really like to be with her fiancé at the moment, but currently Rick was out without his cell phone, so his location was unknown. That led to her going home to head into her bed. It wouldn't be like falling asleep in Rick's arms, but it would have to do.

The minute she opened the door to the penthouse, Minmei heard a female voice call out, "C'mon, Ranma. You're making this boring" The voice that Minmei recognized as Nabiki Tendo.

There was a time that that person was the most hated person in Minmei's life. That was until Ranma made her be friendly with the "mercenary." Now she was okay with Nabiki. Because of her, her first movie was a big hit. However that didn't mean she was friends with her.

"You gotta at least try."

"Maybe I don't feel like it," came another female voice. This voice Minmei recognized as her "brother," Ranma.

Minmei made her to the voices and found them in the living room playing video game. It appeared to be one of those fighting games that Ranma loved play yet criticized because of their unreal nature. "Hiya, guys," Minmei announced herself. Though she maybe tired, she didn't let it show. "How are things?"

Before anyone answered, Minmei got a look at Ranma. She wasn't the vibrant redhead that Minmei was use to. She was frowning and her body drooped. Her eyes looked like they were pointing to the floor rather than on the TV. This was not her friend.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Nabiki answered that one of Ranma's friends had left the ship. With that info, Minmei briefly wondered if that's how Ranma reacted all those times they parted back on Earth. She also wondered if this was how Ranma acted to the news of Akane's wedding. She remembered that period of time because Ranma refused to be around her, always sticking Nabiki with her.

"How about we do something to cheer her up?" stated Minmei.

That's what Nabiki thought she was trying to do with the fighting game. It was something she believed the martial artist would like, since Ranma seemed to play it every time she stopped by the penthouse.

Minmei suggested that they go out. Nabiki mentioned that they had already been out shopping. However Minmei suggested miniature golf. That seemed to get Ranma's attention as she instantly perked up upon hearing that.

Nabiki had no clue that Ranma was into something like that. She wanted to join in since she had never done it before.

Minmei went to her room to change out of her dress. She came back out in a pair of short shorts and a skin tight tank top.

Ranma was shocked that Minmei owned something like that. "You're not leaving here in that," she spoke.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with it," Nabiki said in Minmei's defense. "I think it looks go on her."

"I don't care how it makes her look. She's engage and doesn't need to be tempting guys with that."

Having Ranma react in such a way got the two girls laughing. But they laughed for different reasons. Nabiki laughed because she had never seen the overprotective brother routine. She also thought that maybe Minmei wore that for a reason.

Minmei, on the other hand, laughed because she knew something that Ranma didn't know. "Ranma, I won't be tempting any guys because we're just going up to the roof," Minmei explained. "I got them to build a putt-putt course since it became hard for me and Rick to just go out and play."

That being said, the three girls left for the elevator to go up to the roof. As they stood in the elevator, Nabiki caught a glimpse of the engagement ring due to twinkle of the diamond in the provided light. Having heard about the ring in the news, Nabiki was quite surprised that Rick could afford something like that.

* * *

She had hoped the decision would come soon because she had been waiting for over six hours. Fortunately Lisa's wait didn't last much longer. The doors opened and council members starting towards their offices. She waited for her father to exit, since he was the only one that she knew in the complex. After a minute, people stopped exiting the room, and her father didn't appear. She stepped up to the door to find that the room was empty; however there was another door on the other side of the room.

Clearly her father exited from the other side. She wondered if that side was closer to his office. It had been quite awhile since she had been to his office, and even then, most of Alaska base was still under construction. Also she couldn't be sure that he was still in that office. But she realized that was her next destination.

Lisa got lucky as she made her way down the hall. She was amongst the offices of the senior staff. Fortunate was on her side when her father, having realized that he had left his daughter, stepped out of his office to retrieve his daughter, only to notice she was just a few doors down.

Once Lisa joined her father, the admiral decided to give her the grand tour of the complex. He understood it had been awhile since Lisa had been inside Alaska Base, excluding last year's debriefing. So he showed her the things that had completed. Eventually they ended up in a control room, filled with monitors and consoles. It was there where the topic that interested Lisa was brought up.

"The council is giving serious considerations about peace talks," stated Admiral Hayes.

"That's great, father," replied Lisa, not realizing she had dropped the formality.

"Which is why I brought you to here," continued Hayes, a smile on his face. "Though it's empty now, this is the nerve center to the Grand Cannon."

Lisa wasn't an idiot, so she instantly knew where his father was headed. "Father, you can't possibly think that this can work?"

"We have to demonstrate that they aren't all powerful," Admiral Hayes expressed passionately. "We will not go to the bargaining table from a position of weakness."

"Does the council really believe that this will do anything to break the Zentraedi? They have more than hundreds of millions of warships besides what is out there now. This could only lead to the destruction of Earth."

Though not truly listening to Lisa, Admiral Hayes responded to her by saying wait and see. He, like many on the council, believed the Grand Cannon system was the ultimate in reflex weaponry. Unfortunately, of the four under construction, only the North American cannon had been completed. As unfortunate as it may seem, the council was positive that one cannon would put them in a position of strength.

That being said, he informed Lisa that until this was completed, she wouldn't be allowed to return to the SDF-1. Though upset, it was something Lisa had already expected. She was given the reason that it was for her protection due to the attack on the shuttle on her way down. However she felt she would be in less danger if she was on the SDF-1, especially if they used the Grand Cannon.

* * *

Max was quite nervous. It wasn't like he had ever been on dates before. But this time, he felt the girl was out of his league. She was beauty beyond beauty. It was times like these that he missed Ben. Stepping out of his room, he went down the hall to the room of Rick Hunter. When he opened the door, Max felt that he was fortunate to have caught him, believing that Rick might be having dinner with Minmei.

As for Rick, he was still bored. Minmei was still unavailable. This time he found out from Nodoka that she was out with Ranma and Nabiki. He had been set to turn in early when there was a knock on the door. What greeted him was Maximilian Sterling wearing a blue blazer, on top of a brown vest, over a white shirt with a red tie. That went along with the khaki pants and brown loafers. This was a quite a different look for Max, considering the only thing Rick had seen him in was his uniform. In his hand was a bouquet for flowers.

"Whassup?" Rick asked.

"I just wanted to know if my tie was straight."

"Sure, it's straight," replied Rick. He didn't realize the greater meaning of Max's statement. He glanced over to the clock on the wall and commented, "Nine o'clock is quickly approaching."

"Yeah, and I'm nervous had hell," replied Max. "I've never felt so nervous for a date before. Not even for Sammie and Vanessa."

"What about Kim?" Rick asked.

"Well, she's kinda off limits. The guys consider her your girl since even though you guys have broken up."

The two talked for a few more minutes. This relieved the nervousness that Max had been feeling. Once it was gone, he left for the park. He arrived about five minutes before nine and was surprised by how deserted the park was. Bouquet in hand, his nervousness started to creep back when nine o'clock arrived and Miriya hadn't appeared. He waited for fifteen minutes before he finally thought he had been stood up.

Little did he know, Miriya had been there the entire time. She hid behind a tree, brandishing a Bowie knife, waiting for the right time to strike out at him. She was going to make kill quick and sweet.

Max was set to give up and head back to the barracks when he heard the scream, "Maximilian Sterling, prepare for your end." He spun around to find Miriya coming at him with a big knife. Max had this nice greeting all prepared, but he never got the chance to use it, as he had to use his quick reflexes to save himself from Miriya's initial attack.

"Miriya, what's this all about?" he finally asked, constantly avoiding the blade.

"I am Quadrono Leader Miriya Parino. A Zentraedi Warrior," she announced as she drew out a second Bowie knife.

"There goes our first date," gulped Max.

Miriya pressed her attack. It should be over quickly as the Micronian was unarmed. But she was surprised by how well Max's reflexes translated outside the Veritech. Though Max wasn't at the level of Ranma when it came to hand to hand combat, he could clearly hold his own.

Miriya lunged at him with the right hand, only to find he was not there as he had leaped and flipped over her. Reacting to such a move, she performed a backhanded attack with the left that was sure to injure. Only it missed also, as Max landed in the splits, the knife barely missing his head. From that position, Max rolled away and performed a backhand spring to give him some distance away from her.

Miriya came at him once again. This time Max prepared to defend himself with a nearby rock. This caused added frustration in Miriya that she couldn't kill this Micronian. But along with this frustrated feeling, some other type of feeling was starting to form within her. It was a feeling that she couldn't explain.

That feeling was soon forgotten as the knife in her left hand struck the rock awkwardly and flew out of her hand, embedding itself in a nearby tree. Sensing the opportunity to attack, Max made way to the tree with Miriya close on his heels. Fortunate for him, Max was able to get there first.

It instantly turned into a knife fight. They stood no more than an arm length apart, knives constantly moving, constantly in contact. Yet neither could strike the other. Not that Max really wanted to strike the woman that lit a fire in his heart. He easily looked beyond the fact that she was his enemy; his eyes blinded by her beauty. His heart called out to him, telling that this was the woman for him. Now all he needed to do was prove that to her, first by disarming her.

For Miriya, that strange feeling was becoming recognizable. In fact she seemed to remember having this feeling before. But she didn't know how to comprehend this feeling. To her, what you did not know could kill you, as it provided distractions. And distracting her it did. Her grip on the handle mysteriously loosened, and seconds later, it was out of her hand. Right then and there, she finally believed Khyron. There was someone that she couldn't defeat.

Accepting that defeat, Miriya slumped to the ground, on her knees with her head down, and waited for the death strike. This was how it should end for the once-proud, unbeatable Quadrono Leader. In some strange way, she was happy. In all her years and all her battles, she never felt so alive as she did now. What was it about this Micronian that made this happen?

But the death blow didn't come. To her that meant one thing; she was to become a prisoner. She had much preferred to end things quickly, because if they were like Zentraedi interrogators, she was in for a painful ordeal.

"Why don't you end it now because I am not going to tell your kind anything!"

"Why would I want to do that?" asked Max.

"Because it would be much better than being tortured after you hand me over," replied Miriya.

"But I'm not going to turn you in," answered Max. He was on the ground next to her. He lifted her chin and became mesmerized by her red eyes. "You're too beautiful to hand over to the authorities. Enemy or not."

Looking into his eyes, Miriya's heart started to unexpectedly beat faster, and not in the way it did during battle. Hearing him was startling because it would be going against everything the Zentraedi believed about being captured. Feeling his touch gave her a sudden and indescribable warm feeling.

"What is this that I am feeling?" she asked. It was supposed to be for her inter-monologue; however it was said out loud.

Max saw the red hue to her cheeks and speculated out loud that it was love. Miriya quickly asked what was love. Max described his feelings for her and called it love. Since it was exactly what she was feeling, she believed that was what love was.

Then Max moved closer and surprised Miriya by putting his lips on hers. The contact with his lips caused that warm feeling to spread throughout her body. Though she was on her knees, kissing Maximilian Sterling made her feel like she was floating in space. For the length of the kiss, nothing existed except the other.

"Why don't we get married?" Max asked when he broke the kiss.

"Married?" Miriya didn't know the concept of marriage.

"Yes. And we can feel like this for the rest of our lives."

Liking this feeling, Miriya quickly agreed, not thinking about the consequences.

* * *

The following day, the three techs sat in the base lounge with their three guy friends. That's how it appeared to the casual observer. However, in actuality, it was Sammie and Vanessa with the three former Zentraedi spies, and Kim was a tag along. It seemed rather strange now compared to the first time they meet up with Rico, Bron, and Konda, since Kim was no longer dating Rick Hunter. But even if the girls wanted to "pass off" one of the guys to Kim, she would not have taken him because she was still hung up over Rick. And it seemed worst when it was announced that Minmei was engaged.

It was also strange when they found out that the guys they went dancing were Zentraedi spies.

"It has been really different," replied Rico to a Sammie question.

"How come?" asked Vanessa.

"Well do not have to worry about food anymore," answered Konda.

"Yeah, but all these tests are becoming tasking," added Bron.

"But it is worth it to be close to Minmei," the three said together, much to the disgust of the girls. However Sammie and Vanessa didn't mind. It was the same with all the men on the ship. They were all fascinated with the girl. They were just fortunate that they had them there now. Then later they could have some more sexual fun with Max Sterling. They must have been thinking of the same thing at the same time because a smile appeared on their faces thinking about that threesome just the other day.

"Hey, look over there. There is Minmei's friend," announced Bron.

"Where?" asked Rico and Konda.

They had momentarily forgotten about the three girls with them. It only helped prove they were uber-Minmei fans because most people didn't know about Minmei's friends. Rico and Konda looked over to where Bron was pointing and saw a redheaded lady at another table talking with a guy.

"Say, it is that the guy you were with the other time, Kim?" asked Konda.

She knew it was. She had noticed Rick quite a while ago. Vanessa and Sammie didn't bother to look, but they knew it would probably be best if they left. The Zentraedi didn't understand, but since they liked the company they were with, they followed.

Along the way out, they passed Max Sterling, who was still wearing the outfit from the previous night.

"Well, it's nice to hear you had a nice time with my fiancée," deadpanned Rick.

"Hey, we tried calling you, but you weren't there to answer," answered Ranma. "You should have seen Nabiki's expression when I bought her that camera. It feels nice to do things for friends."

Rick already knew about this. Minmei told him when they spoke in the phone this morning. It made him wonder if Ranma knew what Minmei knew about Nabiki's feelings.

"So what this about Max?" she asked. It was really the reason the two were having lunch, since the two haven't gotten together in recent days.

It seemed almost on cue that Max appeared in front of them. "Rick, there you are. Have you seen Commander Saotome?" Though Ranma had told him time after time not to call him that when off duty, Max couldn't stop from saying it.

"Max, isn't that the same thing you wore last night?" Rick asked.

Max looked down and started laughing because he had forgotten. Ranma and Rick were puzzled by this. They had never seen Max like this.

"Last night was such a wonderful night that I've seemed to forgot to change clothes," replied Max. "Always, have you seen Commander Saotome?"

He received the biggest shock in his life when the redhead, one of the most beautiful women on the ship, said that she was Commander Saotome. At first he didn't believe her until he received confirmation from Rick.

"No way!" he gasped.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Max. So what cha want?" she asked. "Oh, and before you ask, I'm really a guy."

It was a real bummer to find out one of the girls he lusted for close to two years was really a guy and his boss. But that was no longer a concern to him. "I just want your permission for marriage."

Ranma just had to laugh at that. Max didn't need her permission to get married. But it was a classic spit take for her and Rick when Max mentioned the girl was Zentraedi.

"That was a Zentraedi? Danm! I wonder if they all look like that," responded Rick, only to receive an elbow in the ribs.

"I can introduce you to her if it helps." Max motioned to the door. Stepping out from the side was a beautiful woman dressed in a pink dress with a green ribbon tied into a bow in the back. Ranma simply had to agree with Rick. Of course her thoughts were more on the line, _She's almost as beautiful as me_.

When she was finally next to Max, Miriya was introduced to his commander. She surprised to see that the Micronians allowed females to mix with the male soldiers in such a way that they are their direct commanders.

Ranma couldn't make any type of decision by just meeting her. She was not about to say no either. But she was going to have to tell Captain Gloval about this because Miriya Parino was Zentraedi and not one of the one that came seeking for asylum.

* * *

"Ranma, stop your fussing," stated Nabiki.

"But why do I have to wear a dress?" complained Ranma.

"Young women do not wear blouses or pants to weddings," answered her mother.

"And you'll look nice for later on," added Minmei.

It really wasn't wearing a dress that Ranma was complaining about. It was wearing this particular dress that she hated. For one, she didn't pick it out. Another thing, it was pink, lacy, and it showed way too much cleavage.

"Now, sit while I finish your make up," said Nabiki.

"I can do that on my own," commented Ranma.

"Ranma dear, let Nabiki do this," said Nodoka, calmly. "Besides you're still learning to apply makeup."

"Yes, mom."

* * *

The marriage of Max Sterling and Miriya Parino became the biggest social event to take place on the SDF-1 since the opening of _Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson!_ When Ranma informed Captain Gloval of Max's intentions, he thought it was an excellent idea. He saw it as an opportunity to show the growing brotherhood between those Zentraedi already on board and the inhabitants of the SDF-1. And he wanted the wedding to happen quickly.

Once it was announced, the wedding became the social event of the season. It was given full military pageantry, however only those in high command plus friends and family could attend the ceremony. Thus high command allowed MBS to broadcast it to the masses.

Those on the SDF-1 weren't the only ones that watched the wedding. The telecast was picked up on the monitors of Alaska Base. One of the few interested in the festivities was Lisa Hayes, who watched it with her father in his office. Until they found something for her to do, she served as his adjutant.

Right in the middle of the vows, Admiral Hayes asked his daughter, "So is there someone special on that ship for you?"

Lisa was too embarrassed to answer. Her blushing was all the answer he needed. It should not have been her reaction, but there was something about being around her father that brought out the embarrassed girl in her.

"Well, I at least hope he's military."

Alaska Base wasn't the only place picking up the broadcast. As with everything transmitted from the SDF-1, it was picked up and watched by the Zentraedi, in particular, Breetai and Exedore (and Azonia and Khyron, on their respective ships). It took Exedore a while to learn what a wedding was. Once he had, Breetai wanted to know why the Quadrono Leader was getting into such a thing with this Micronian male. He also wanted to know why she was on the battle fortress in the first place.

What surprised them both was seeing her with that smile on her face. They both knew what it meant, as it was seen on many Zentraedi while imbibing fermented liquids after successful campaigns. What they wanted to know was how did this event cause Miriya Parino such joy.

Breetai, Exedore, Azonia, and Khyron went into shock the second Miriya willingly kissed the Micronian male.

* * *

"And now to sing a special song to the merry couple, Lynn Minmei."

There was a loud applause in the room holding the reception. There were more military allowed here than at the ceremony. But there were still no civilians allowed, thus MBS was broadcasting this, too. On one side of the room was the table where Max and Miriya sat, along with his parents and the parents of Ben Dixon, who Max considered part of his family. On another table was the wedding cake in the shape of the SDF-1.

There was a stage step up in front of the wedding party's table. At the present time, Minmei's backup band was on it. With the announcement, Minmei walked onto the stage. She wore a blue version of the dress Ranma wore.

"Actually, I'm not going to sing today," she announced, to many groans. "But there's a friend of mine that's going to sing instead."

With that, she walked off on stage and was replaced by Ranma with the guitar her uncle gave her. On Earth, Lisa Hayes thought she looked really beautiful but could not see herself pulling something off like that.

"You guys sure you know this song?" she asked the band. They assured her they knew the music. At that point, she proceeded up to the mic stand.

"Ah, hi. My name is Ranko Hasegawa. I'm going to sing a song as a gift from Max's commanding officer who couldn't be here today."

She wasn't sure if she could pull this off. Singing to friends and family was one thing. Singing to the general public on TV was something totally different.

With that in mind, she started strumming the guitar. At the right moment, the band kick in, and she starting singing.

"Help me  
I think I'm falling  
In love again  
When I get that crazy feeling, I know  
I'm in trouble again  
I'm in trouble  
'Cause you're a rambler and a gambler  
And a sweet-taIking-ladies man  
And you love your lovin'  
But not like you love your freedom…

"…Help me  
I think I'm falling  
In love with you  
Are you going to let me go there by myself  
That's such a lonely thing to do  
Both of us flirting around  
Flirting and flirting  
Hurting too  
We love our lovin'  
But not like we love our freedom "

Because of the ages of the people in the room, few recognized the song. But the rhythm of the music and Ranma's voice just gave them that dancing feeling. It wasn't long into Ranma's song that couples made their way to the dance floor, including "the" couple of the hour. There was also a couple that danced unseen from the crowd, as Minmei perpetuated the secrecy of her fiancé, Rick. Men and women who were just there alone paired up and joined the dance floor. When the song was over, the crowd applauded. Ranma was happy and left the stage, allowing the band to continue playing.

Max and Miriya went over to thank Ranma before returning to their seats. Ranma went over to seat with her mother and Nabiki. She took in the festivities and wondered if it would have been like this if she, instead of Alex Satori, had married Akane. She wondered if she would ever find someone and have something close to this.

Ranma was brought out of her thoughts by the announcing of Captain Henry Gloval. Gloval was dressed in his formal dress uniform with all his medal and decorations for the public to see. He opened his speech by congratulating the merry couple. He praised the wedding for being more than just the union of a man and a woman, but for being a union between human and Zentraedi.

That's where things went south. Gloval went on to remind everyone on the ship that it was because of the Zentraedi that they weren't allowed to return to Earth and to their loved ones. Max almost stood out of his seat in outrage. The same could be said of Ranma and Rick.

Gloval continued on with his speech. It seemed that he was trying to encourage hatred towards the Zentraedi, more than there already was. Then he swung the other way. He once again praised the marriage. He praised it as a sign of what could be. It showed that the two races could learn to live with each other, learn to love one another.

What people failed to realize but Gloval did, the viewing of this wedding and reception wasn't just contained to those on the SDF-1. He was sure the transmission was being picked up on Earth, and in particular, watched by the top brass in Alaska Base. So even though Lisa was sent to sue for peace with the Zentraedi, he was going to use this as his medium to convey his thoughts to the council, which the smart man that was Admiral Donald Hayes picked up.

Still watching with his daughter, he turned off the set. He could believe the audacity of Captain Henry Gloval. He couldn't believe that one of his former subordinate would say such a thing. However it was testament on how much the two men had changed over the years.

When Gloval was finally finished, he received a louder applause than Ranma. The idea of peace was spreading throughout the ship, having been started by Lynn Kyle. Now it was nice to find out that the top military officer wanted the same thing. But that was not to say everybody was pleased at the idea of looking at the Zentraedi as there brothers.

* * *

Breetai continued to watch the televised reception, though he missed his counterpart's speech as Azonia finally briefed him on the purpose of Miriya being on Zor's battle fortress. He watched as the Micronians were once again dancing to the music. This time there wasn't a red-haired female singing. He couldn't believe how intoxicating her voice was. He believed her to be better than the female they usually show singing.

Suddenly, the image was replaced by a soldier that he recognized as being a part of Lord Dolza's staff.

"Commander Breetai, you have an important message from Lord Dolza."

Breetai was on his feet immediately, expecting Dolza to appear any moment. But he never appeared as the order was given for an all out attack. Breetai and Exedore were left confused. They wondered about the change in strategy. It was their mission to capture the battle fortress. An all out attack meant Dolza no longer cared about it and the planet it protected.

The order was relayed throughout the entire fleet. Soldiers quickly prepared for what they thought was the end to this action. However there were many who didn't want to take place in this battle. There were many that knew some of their comrades on that ship.

Something started happening that never happened amongst the Zentraedi. Soldier started refusing to fight. Though many didn't know those onboard the battle fortress, they couldn't bring themselves to knowingly attack their own.

This was worst than those who defected to the Micronians or those who wished to seek out Minmei. Zentraedi society was based upon warfare, and refusing to enter battle was insubordination, tantamount to mutinous behavior. It also resulted in fights breaking out between those who loyal to given order and those loyal to their fellow Zentraedi.

Needless to say, the size of the attack force was less than it should.

* * *

Alarms went off onboard the SDF-1. At first people were startled because their first thoughts were there hadn't been any drills scheduled for the day. It wasn't until Gloval informed them that there was an attack that people realized the reality of the situation.

Guests started for the areas of responsibilities, as ordered by their captain. This brought up a dilemma for the newlyweds. The second Gloval ordered everyone to their battle station, Max was on his feet set to run off to the _Prometheus_, only to be stopped by Rick. He briefly told him that he could sit this one out and stay with Miriya. Max was rooted to the floor because he didn't want to leave his fellow pilots hanging, but he also didn't want to leave his beautiful bride in an unsafe environment.

Though she was new to the thought of having a life companion, Miriya could sense the turmoil in her husband. Maybe it was the warrior in her, but she knew his place was with his fellow pilots. Her warrior spirit also told her that she needed to be out there, fighting side by side with her husband.

"I'm going with you," she announced.

Max picked up on two messages in that statement. She had "given" him permission to join the fight. But she wanted to join him as well. Max was unsure about that.

Miriya took off her veil and explained that she understood where he needed to be. She had that same feeling. It wasn't in her nature to stand aside when there was combat to be had. It was something they had in common. She didn't even give a thought to the fact she would be going against her own people. Her husband and his people was her life now, and she would fight to keep them safe.

Max was still unsure if he should take his bride out into the void of space. He didn't want to risk losing her after just finding her. But Miriya convinced him that she would be okay. She understood Veritechs from simply utilizing the simulators.

Max snickered at Miriya thinking the game was a simulator. But it did convince him the she knew what to do because some of the things she did in the game were only possible in the actual simulators. Maybe he would have to ask Ranma if Miriya could become a Veritech pilot.

Speaking of Ranma, up until a few days ago, this situation might have been a problem for her. Given the fact that she had never flown as a female, she would have speculated if she should make her way to the _Prometheus_. However since saving Lisa's hide, she had acquisitioned a flight suit that fit her female form and moved her equipment to the CAG locker room.

Making sure her mother and Nabiki were headed where they needed to be, she took a jeep and headed for the _Prometheus_. She was in the middle of changing when she felt her equilibrium change, signifying a change in gender. Ironically the change came at a fortunate time. However there was a momentary trade off. He was still wearing a strapless bra and a pair of panties, which were rather constrictive.

* * *

It didn't take long for Veritechs to meet up with Battlepods and continue their never-ending death match. As it was during most of their battles, the death toll started to rise. The Veritech squadron started to prove themselves as superior fighters, thanks to the training plans developed by Lieutenant Commander Ranma Saotome. So the kill ratio was high, making up for the fact that they were severely outnumbered.

However the Zentraedi weren't responding how they normally would. This was a cause for worry for Breetai, especially since word had yet to be passed on to him as to the actions of those under his command.

Out in space, Max had finally lined a 'Pod into his sights and was set for the kill. Thanks to all the data collected from all the battles, certain points on the Battlepod had been discovered which would cause them to destruct. Thanks to Ranma's training plans, all the pilots knew these points. So Max was set for the kill when a gloved hand from the back distracted and stopped him. He turned around to Miriya, sitting in the back of the specially modified VF-1D.

"If Captain Gloval wants us to stop this fight, let's start here," said Miriya.

"Now!" Max said in a shocked tone. "We're in the middle of things, dear."

"But we can finish them without ending their lives."

Max was hesitant on what he should do. How was he to finish them without ending their lives, especially since they were trying to end his? He realized that this was Miriya's plea to save her people, so he understood. He asked how was he to do what she proposed, and she guided him into targeting the Battlepod in just the right spot that it would it out of commission.

Max attacked using only the laser turret. He was surprised that it didn't immediately explode. It just stopped moving as if its power supply had been severed. He tried this attack on another 'pod before he was convinced in Miriya's strategy.

It was Rick that appeared on his tac-net after a couple of successful attacks. He answered Rick's question by relaying what Miriya told him about other Battlepod weak points. Rick relayed that to Ranma. And Ranma relayed it to the remainder of the wing.

Though the kill rate remained the same, the rising death toll of the Zentraedi stopped. Ranma explained to Gloval this new course of action, who seemed to approve. Before long the Zentraedi seemed to receive a recall order. Partially it could have been due to the number of functional Battlepods. It could also be due to the word having finally gotten to Breetai of the widespread insubordination amongst his ranks. As he wasn't sure how widespread this was, he recalled them before something detrimental happened.

* * *

_What a day_, thought Rick, as he began to wind down from the day's events. First of all, he was the best man at Max's wedding. He was able to spend some time with his fiancée. He listened to his friend and superior officer sing. He witnessed the captain almost give a propaganda speech. And to top it all, he survived yet another battle.

A crash from the next room signified what had changed in his life. He had new neighbors, Max and Miriya Sterling. Once they were married, they were provided quarters meant for couples. It just happened that the only one available was next door to Rick.

The bad thing was they forgot to properly insulate it for sound. At least that's what Rick believed since it seemed he could hear almost everything going on in the room.

The next thing he heard was the sound of a fire extinguisher. _That doesn't sound good_, he thought.

Putting the extinguisher away, Max realized that for the near future, he was going to have to do all the cooking. Although it was something he kind of expected. He didn't believe that the Zentraedi knew how to cook, so it was going to be one of the things he was going to have to teach her. Or at least find someone to teach her, if Miriya was willing.

Back on Rick's side, he sensed that things had calmed down and began to relish the silence. He was just about to go to bed when a new noise began to emanate from the newlyweds' room. It was an all too common noise coming from newlyweds.

"I would have never thought Miriya to be a screamer," he said to himself. He was kind of embarrassed that the sound of their sex was making him aroused.

* * *

Author's note

The song used at the start of this chapter was Saboten by the Japanese group Porno Graffitti. The song used during the wedding is Help Me by Joni Mitchell.


	22. The End All revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 22: The End All

* * *

"They're incredible," commented Rick.

"What do you mean?" asked Ranma.

A few days after the wedding was the first time the two friends had hung out in a couple of weeks. They were having lunch at the White Dragon, simply because they had the best Chinese food on the ship. Rick usually stayed away from Ranma whenever he was in his girl-form, mostly because it was hard to not ogle his best male friend when he was a hot chick.

"They're practically having sex 24/7," Rick explained.

"It can't be that bad."

"It's bad when you're not gettin' any at the same time. You try sleepin' with Miriya practically screaming her lungs out."

Ranma said it wouldn't bother him. But he was a heavy sleeper, and only a few things could wake him before his body clock went off. "That's interesting. Well, there haven't been any complaints about her screaming," he commented. "'Sides, what's the harm?"

"Says the guy who's still a virgin. You wouldn't understand."

For that comment, Rick received a skeptical glare from Ranma. He knew that he might have quite possibly crossed some line, but he didn't care. Nobody wanted to be criticized by someone who had yet to share the same experience.

"You know, if you're ready to lose it, you could have any girl on this ship. Many would be willing jump in your bed if you say the word. I'm pretty sure, even though you guys play brother and sister, Minmei would break our engagement for just the chance. Yet you just turn a blind eye to it."

Ranma scoffed at that. He wouldn't believe that Minmei would pull an Ucchan. As for the other statement, "Yeah, right! Like there are girls that willing?"

Rick faked like he was thinking. In fact he could already name two. "I could name two. Commander Hayes and your friend, Nabiki."

Ranma was naïvely surprised that he brought up those two names, but he was about to show it to Rick. He could not bring himself to think they throw themselves at him. He mentioned that he was sure Lisa wouldn't. She was military, thus that meant she wouldn't do anything detrimental to her rank. Besides he didn't have any opportunity, since she wasn't going to return to the SDF-1 any time soon.

Hearing Ranma mention the commander by her first name caused Rick to raise an eyebrow. Maybe there was something between the two of them that he didn't know about. There were few that he knew that called Commander Hayes by her first name. He couldn't remember if he ever heard Roy called her by her first name. But he wasn't about to read anything into it.

"And Nabiki?"

"I wouldn't do anything with Nabiki. Akane would kill. It would be her proof that I'm the pervert that she believed me to be."

"Says the person still hung up on his married ex-fiancée," stated Rick, pointing out that Ranma's need to bring Akane into the conversation.

It was almost ironic that while speaking about Nabiki, she would appear from behind the door leading to the kitchen. Granted she did work at the restaurant.

"Man, Nabiki looks hot!" Rick whispered to Ranma, and promptly received an elbow to the ribs. He understood what it meant. It wasn't the first one he'd received since his engagement to Minmei. He just wished Ranma would stop.

Nabiki saw the guys at roughly the same time. She was happy that Ranma was there. She made her way over to their table. "Hey, Ranma, I have something I want show you," she stated, producing a packet of picture out of nowhere. It appeared Nabiki had been rather busy with her new camera. All of them were of different locations in Macross City. All of them were beautifully done for an amateur photographer.

Rick was simply amazed by what he saw. There were shots of places that he didn't know where they were. There were shots of the wedding that looked better than those of the hired photographer, considering he didn't remember seeing her with a camera. There were shots of people that he thought were better than those he had seen of Minmei's fashion shoots.

"These are really good, Nabiki," commented Rick.

That was nice to hear. Ever since she started taking pictures again, thanks to Ranma, she had been thinking about changing her major. It wasn't that she didn't want the business degree. She just no longer had the passion, like when it was up to her to keep her family out of poverty. However once she had a camera back into her hands, the joy she had taken for granted returned. Sure, most of her earlier pictures were her little sister and scantily clad female Ranma, but the pictures she would take to run out a roll of film were rather enjoyable. There had been many times she wished she hadn't forgotten her camera when she hastily packed, as they would have offered her something to do during moments of boredom.

Rick's comment was appreciated, but it would have been better coming from Ranma. After all, he was the one who bought the camera. He was the one that provided meaning to her new life.

Rick continued flipping through the pictures until he came across a couple of pictures that weren't supposed to be there. One was of a female Ranma in a two-piece bathing suit. The other was of her wearing a miniskirt.

"Woo!" emphatically stated Rick.

That got the attention of Ranma and Nabiki, who had started talking about her possibly switching to photography. He was surprised by her enthusiasm for it. He always thought of her as the savvy businesswoman. He always thought of her taking pictures as taking advance of Tatewaki Kuno (and him).

"What's that about?" asked Ranma.

Rick flashed the two pictures in question. Ranma was impressed by their looks, but he expected that. He wasn't as surprised as he had been by the first pictures in Nerima, as he had offered to pose for Nabiki for her first two pictures.

"Hey, these are better than I thought," Ranma commented. "Maybe photography is a good thing for you."

* * *

The SDF-1 was on a heighten sense of alert. Fifteen minutes ago, a Zentraedi battle cruiser was picked up on radar moving towards the SDF-1. That was not out of the ordinary. Though normally an alarm would sound through the ship but no alarm had been sound.

As of yet, no Battlepod or Zentraedi fighter had been launched. As a precaution, Gloval alerted his forces and placed them in a standby mode. That meant every single member of the RDF had to return to his or her duty stations. Now it's impossible to move that many people to such places as the _Prometheus_ without the civilians catching wind of something.

Up on the bridge, Kim had been listening for any possible communications coming from the ship. The tension could be cut with a knife. The girls all wished Lisa had been there at the moment, for she always seemed to be able to relieve the situation.

It wasn't just the crew that felt nervous on the bridge. Gloval was fearful that a misinterpreted move would happen, and all hell would break loose. It was clear to him that the Zentraedi wanted something other than their lives. But that still didn't stop him from having Claudia aim the main cannon at the ship.

Everyone waited for any signal that would ease the tension. That signal would have to come from the Zentraedi, since it was they who brought the tension with their arrival two years ago. The wait didn't last much longer, as a message received at Sammie's station. When Sammie announced that the Zentraedi were requesting to approach the SDF-1, some wanted to laugh due to the fact that they had already approached and stopped some hundreds of meters away.

Gloval asked to hear the message to clarify what it said.

"I say again: We are sending an unarmed ship to dock with your battle fortress. We ask for a cessation of warfare. Please hold your fire."

Gloval thought this over for a minute. There wasn't an explanation as to why they were sending a ship. The first thing that went through his mind was the story of Troy and the Trojan horse. But would the Zentraedi know of this tactic?

This thought was brief as Gloval realized the opportunity. A possible avenue for peace was opening up. Thus he informed Sammie to inform the Zentraedi that they were welcomed to come.

"Provide them an appropriate escort."

* * *

At the same time, on Earth, Lisa was led to the main control room. Her father found a place for her to work. Of course that meant he had to reassign someone. The unfortunate thing for that person, the reassignment was actually a change in duty location. And for this person, she ended up being transferred to the SDF-1 the previous day.

The one thing Lisa knew, the job was going to be rather tiring on her. The job was beneath her rank. It entailed the monitoring various transmissions, which was a detail usually assigned to enlisted techs or junior officers. It also didn't help that her co-workers knew that she was the daughter of Admiral Hayes and immediately believed she was there to be his eyes and ears, much in the same way many council members believed she was Gloval's eyes and ears.

She sat in front of a console and observed the SDF-1 and Zentraedi stare down. Though she was supposed to be monitoring Earth traffic, she wondered what was taking place. She wished she could hear if there was any traffic between the two, but she knew the SDF-1 modulated its frequencies, making it difficult for someone in her job to overhear.

* * *

An hour after sending the message, a Battlepod left from one the various hangers and made its ways from Breetai flagship towards the SDF-1. On the SDF-1, upon seeing the Battlepod in flight, an escort led by Lt. Rick Hunter was launched.

As the escort approached the Battlepod, the radar alerted everyone to the approach of some unwanted guests. The escort was fortunate that the Zentraedi ship opened fire on their own people. On the Zentraedi flagship, Breetai had to listen to Khyron's rant. There was no reason for Breetai to prevent them from destroying the enemy advancing on the Battlepod. However Breetai knew that Khyron was attempting to prevent any talks from happening by going after the Battlepod.

The Battlepod was directed towards one of the SDF-1's seldom used hanger bays. Once in there, it was surrounded by Destroids, making sure this was not a Trojan horse situation.

Soon the hatch opened and out stepped a soldier in full armor. Once he was out, a faint sound of another voice came from inside the cockpit. That elicit a response from the soldier that no one could understand, but from the tone, it seemed like he was quite embarrassed. The soldier pulled out a small figure from the Battlepod. As he kneeled to the ground, it was clear to those around that the small figure was another Zentraedi who was micronized, to use the term given to them by those that had defected.

Though the micronized Zentraedi was the size of a human, it was instantly clear he was alien. It wasn't because his misshapen body with the slight appearance of a hump on his back. It wasn't his reddish-brown hair. It had all to do with the mauve skin color. In a world where there were at least four skin tones to the human races, purplish was way out there.

It was obvious that Zentraedi didn't micronized themselves that often, as he was dressed in the same garb as those that came previous, the rag-like dress with a rope tied around the waist.

It felt that this person was someone of importance, as the soldier seemed to hold him in high regards. That was proven when the Zentraedi introduced himself to Colonel Maistroff, who was acting as Captain Gloval's representative. With all the Zentraedi that were now on the SDF-1, he was surprised to see that the Zentraedi was a head shorter than him.

"I am Exedore, Minister of Affairs."

Because the title sounded important, Maistroff was glad those not in mecha were at attention. Maistroff mentioned that it must be a really important position. Exedore responded that it wasn't. Formalities out of the way, he motioned the Zentraedi representative to a jeep which would take him to the base.

As Exedore got into one of the jeeps and the motors of the convoy started, Maistroff motioned to a couple of soldiers and told them find something to accommodate the Zentraedi pilot. He walked away, leaving the two to wonder how they were to accomplish such a feat. There wasn't enough food in the ships storage to feed someone of his size.

The convoy made its way to the base through Macross City. It was quite an experience for Exedore. He had read the reports from the spies that there was a Micronian city in the belly of the battle fortress. So he expected it but to actually see it was something different all together. It also provided him a chance to ask questions about the things he saw, much to Colonel Maistroff's embarrassment, especially the billboard of the bikini model. Needless to say, he was grateful the second they were out of the city and through the gates of the base.

* * *

It was a half hour later before any meetings took place. Part of the time was used to provide Exedore with human clothing. Some of the time was spent informing some of the people he requested to have at the meeting. Most of them were expected. Lieutenant Commander Saotome was informed due to being one of those captured and interrogated by the Zentraedi. Lt. Maximillian Sterling was informed to bring his wife, the newly-commissioned Lt. Miriya Sterling. It was logical because of the human/Zentraedi pairing. The three defected spies were also request.

Captain Gloval arrived at the briefing room and walked to his designated seat, calmly greeting the guest. He briefly talked to Maistroff to see if anything happened on their way there, and chuckled at the thought of a bikini billboard being a military secret.

From the time Gloval arrived, the wait wasn't long. First to arrive were the Sterlings. Miriya was surprised by the appearance of Exedore, sitting high on what appeared to be a stage. She had no clue he was the reason she was summoned there. Now things were quite imposing on her, especially being in company with one of the oldest and well-respected Zentraedi. It was a reminder why she didn't aspire for a command like Azonia.

"We enjoyed watching your pairing ceremony," commented Exedore.

Miriya let out a second gasp. Since she had briefly been a part of the conflict as a full size Zentraedi, she had no idea that transmissions from the SDF-1 could be picked up by Zentraedi fleet. "I-I can explain about that," she stammered.

"And you are her mate," said Exedore, having moved on to Max.

Max didn't know what to say. He had no clue who this person was. He was saved from speaking by the sound of the door opening.

"Commander Saotome, reporting as requested."

Ranma had no clue why he had been summoned. Though he figured whatever it was stemmed from his position. After acknowledging his arrival, he noticed that the Sterlings were there. Seeing them did make him wonder what type of meeting this was.

"It is you," said a strange voice to Ranma's ears. It caused him to turn towards the direction of it. Seeing the alien, he had a Ryoga moment, in which the person looked familiar but he could not quite place him.

Fortunately he was given help from the Zentraedi. "I am sure that I appear different compared to your interrogation."

Ranma gave a loud gasp of sudden realization. He remembered this Zentraedi from those many months ago, when he, Lisa, and Ben were captured. He now figured out why he was summoned. This was the Zentraedi ambassador, and due to the fact, he was the one of the few to have actually contact with them, he was to sit in on the discussions.

With that in mind, he, along with the Sterlings, made his way to a seat with his name.

Not long after they sat down, the door opened again, and in walked three more people. This time, they weren't uniformed personnel. They were the three spies that persuaded other to enjoy the Micronian lifestyle, thus leading to the events of the day. Rico, Konda, and Bron thought they were finished with all the debriefing when they were informed that they were needed to come here. However they meant to cooperate to show trust in the Micronians. They were quite surprised by Exedore's presence. They were set to plead for forgiveness, since defecting was something that Zentraedi didn't do.

"There is no need for that," stated Exedore. "I am not here to punish you for your action."

With that knowledge, the three gave a sigh of relief. Once the three were led to their seats, Gloval was ready to proceed. Unfortunately Exedore wasn't. This was when he informed them that there were two more that he wanted there.

"Exactly who is it you wished to join this proceeding?" asked Gloval.

"The muse who has been key to your psychological campaign and the person who can project energy from his body that we believe to be her companion."

Everyone looked at him confused. Most didn't have an idea what a muse was. Those same people also knew it was impossible for the human body to produce energy and have the ability to project it. If indeed there were people on board that fit these descriptions, the Zentraedi had superior intelligence capabilities than though possible.

However there one who had a clue what he was talking about. Ranma, thanks to his mother, knew the meaning of muse and who it could possibly be. As for the second, he just shook his head, knowing who that was also.

"I'm sorry, minister, but we have no idea who you could possibly be talking about," stated Gloval.

Ranma was set to answer when Exedore figured a demonstration was needed. "You know, the young female Micronian that you frequently show on your transmissions." He then broke out into a horrible rendition of _My Boyfriend's a Pilot_. He was completely out of tune, but he sang it like everything was okay, even going about doing some simple coordination.

The rest of the human realized who he was talking about joined Ranma in a room-wide groan. None of them wanted to say a thing. It wasn't long before Gloval ordered someone to get Both Lynn Kyle and Lynn Minmei to the briefing room.

* * *

It took fifteen minutes for them to get Minmei and Kyle to the room. Minmei walked in, looking as beautiful as ever, making the three former spies swoon. To actually see her this close was delightful. Kyle followed her in, obviously upset about being summoned there, though he wasn't upset about being close to Minmei. They had barely spoken to each other since that uneventful kiss some weeks ago.

Upon looking in the room, Kyle grumbled about its make-up. Since "the kiss," Kyle had become a big advocate for ending the hostilities, almost approaching rabble-rouser status. It only fueled his cause when it came out that there were Zentraedi on board who had fallen in love with the peaceful life that was Macross City.

Thus he muttered, "I'm tired of being pushed around by the military."

Exedore was as excited as the other male Zentraedi by the appearance of Minmei. "That's her," he said, coming to his feet.

Minmei didn't know what he meant by that. Looking into the room, she spotted Ranma and wanted to ask him if he knew what going on. Before she was able to do so, she was slightly frightened by the thunderous voice of Captain Gloval as him admonished Kyle for his tone of speech.

With Kyle giving him a look of disrespect, Gloval asked them to have a seat. The only seats available were next to the three Zentraedi, who were finding it troubling to contain their excitement. Once they had sat down, Gloval calmly explained that they had been brought there at the request of the Zentraedi envoy, and that they should answer any questions he should have.

Exedore was ready with his questions as soon as Gloval was finished talking. "Officer Lynn Kyle, what is your rank?"

Kyle looked at him with much outrage. The thought of this alien grouping him with the military oppressors was unsettling. "I have no rank. I'm a civilian!" he said, letting the others know of his outrage from this.

Exedore was confused to hear this. Someone with his power would surely be a member of the military. He looked at the Micronian faces to see if what he heard was on the level. Gloval ended any confusion by telling him that Kyle was correct in saying that he was not in the military. Exedore wanted an explanation why someone with such power was not a member of the military. He saw it clearly on his monitor. He believed that this was the Micronian champion. And in his mind, the Micronians were hampering themselves by not using him to their advantage.

"What you saw is what we call 'movie magic' or special effects," explained Gloval. "It's physically impossible for one of us to have such superhuman strength and power."

Ranma had a meek expression on his face that only Minmei picked up. He didn't want to correct Gloval since he knew his statement was inaccurate, as he was one of several he knew that possessed superhuman strength and power. After all, the movie was based on his adventure the summer before meeting his mother. But he didn't want to spend more time with the doctors explaining how he could do some of the things many believed impossible.

Exedore was still confused. The phrase, movie magic, wasn't something in the Zentraedi language. So Gloval further explained what a movie was. He continued to explain that it was for entertainment. At that point, things turned into an explanation of various terms.

* * *

Dolza watched the various reports on the situation involving the Zor's battle fortress and the Micronians that possessed it. Time after time the Micronians seemed to overcome their attacks, even to the extent of destroying an entire city to fend off the attack from Khyron.

That didn't bother him. They had faced numerous enemies that felt the need to put a strong resistance. What bothered him was learning some of his own people refused to fight. It seemed that the plan of spying on the Micronians was proving to be a disastrous decision. Somehow, the information those spies gathered filtered down into the ranks of his warriors.

It reminded him of the ancient warning for his people. The warning told them to avoid confrontations with the Micronian race. Now he understood the grave error in not remembering and heeding the warning. There was only one thing he could do to rectify the situation. Too bad it would cost him his best lieutenant.

* * *

On the other side of the galaxy, two other Zentraedi were having a discussion that was going along much differently than the one a few thousand meters away.

"I can't believe that you would do such a thing!" bellowed Breetai at the transvid image of Azonia.

"Something had to be done, commander," replied Azonia. "Talks with the Micronians are a serious matter, and Lord Dolza must be informed of such things."

Breetai fully understood what she meant. Azonia had done right by their laws. Unfortunately he knew that this time what she did would provide severe consequences. And he spelled it out to her.

"Surely, you jest!" she replied in disbelief.

"It was Lord Dolza's order for us to commit an all-out attack. The same attack I had to abandon because of mass insubordination. He must now think that we have all been inflected by the Micronians."

"And if he thinks that, then we're all dead." Breetai had already stated that, but to hear in her own voice proved to be powerful. With this knowledge in mind, she apologized for her grave error.

Breetai took her apology and quickly dismissed her. He needed to get word to Exedore. He now had to hope that the talks with the Micronians would prove to be fruitful. Of course it meant that they had to show that they were in a weaken position, even though he had this great fleet behind him.

A fleet he would have to use against his commander in an act of self-preservation.

* * *

Ranma was bored out of his mind. He just wanted to ask Gloval if it was really necessary for him to be there. For part the time, they had to wait for the arrival of Minmei and Kyle. Then there was the discussion of reality and special effects in movies. Towards the end of that discussion, he just wanted to show them the _Hiryu Shoten Ha_ to prove it was humanly possible. Next they discussed why Miriya felt the need to marry Max. Then there was a discussion on the effects of Minmei's singing.

Presently they were waiting as Exedore took a call that suddenly came for him. Ranma had a feeling that nothing good could come of it. It didn't help Ranma in being able to hear what was being said. Even though they were speaking in Zentraedi, the tone in Exedore's voice didn't sound good.

"You must prepare to leave this system," Exedore said, after he put down the headset.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Gloval. The thought of the SDF-1 leaving Earth again was preposterous.

"I say this for the good of the ship. Commander Breetai has just informed me that the Grand Fleet has been mobilized to destroy your Micronian culture."

A gasp was released from Minmei upon hearing that.

Gloval asked how many ships were in this grand fleet, and when Exedore gave him the answer, he looked at Ranma and asked if he believed this was the fleet he reported in the debriefing. Ranma nodded his response. After a moment of disheartening realization, Gloval told Exedore that they would not abandon Earth.

"You are not thinking rationally about this," stated Exedore. "I am sure that Officer Saotome had to explain the demonstration of the Grand Fleet's destructive power."

"Yes Commander Saotome has," replied Gloval. "But that doesn't mean we will leave our home. This ship is its guardian, and we'll die protecting it before we'll let your ships lay waste to it." Gloval ended his speech with his fist slamming against the table. It left the room in silence, almost as if there was supposed to be some applauding.

The silence persisted for a moment. Exedore broke it by announcing that their fleet would move to protect the SDF-1's escape. Since that wouldn't be the case, Exedore pledged that they wouldn't be fighting alone. Everyone was momentarily confused. Exedore explained that their commander had deemed all the Zentraedi involved in this campaign to be infected, thus they were targets for destruction. The other Zentraedi were surprised to hear this. Mass extermination by one's own was not heard of by the Zentraedi or at least not Zentraedi of Miriya and the three spies' ages.

"Then we have a chance," stated Gloval. He may not know the full capabilities of the fleet surrounding them, but all they needed was a chance. However Exedore quickly shot down that chance. All Zentraedi knew Dolza's fleet was the ultimate power in the galaxy. In truth the only thing Breetai's fleet could do was delay the inevitable.

With such a defeatist attitude coming from the Zentraedi, Ranma was set to leave the meeting. He didn't know how many ships were now on their side, and he didn't care. He was Ranma Saotome, and he didn't lose.

"Now that we are comrades in arms, by chance could we have the Lady Minmei sing for us?" requested Exedore.

Minmei was a little stung to receive a request from an alien. She still hadn't grasped the concept that her songs and singing could affect people. But she loved to sing, so she gladly fulfilled the requested. She made her way to the center of the room and began to sing one of her early songs. To tell the truth, her song was meant to inspire Ranma. She maybe engaged to one of the RDF aces, Ranma meant the world to her. He was the one that inspired her to follow her dreams instead of working for the family restaurant like her father wanted or finding that nice guy and become the dutiful wife and homemaker that her mother wanted. He gave her the courage to share her songs with the world.

Once she finished, the meeting broke up. There was much that Gloval needed to get done if there was a hope of success, as he wasn't going to have that sense of hopelessness that Exedore displayed. Along those lines, he asked Exedore to join him, and they made their way to planning. Max and Miriya left the room so that they could have some love-making time before combat. They hoped it wouldn't be the last time they could do such a thing. Rico, Konda, and Bron left and made their way back to the city.

When Ranma was on his way out, he was stopped by Minmei, who promptly threw her arms around his neck and laid a kiss on his lips. She put the same emotions of her song into it. Ranma was completely stung by the action. And he was not the only one, as Kyle was given a good view of it.

Minmei broke the kiss and saw the expected reaction from Ranma. "I just had to do that," Minmei explained. "With the thought that this might be the last time I'll see you, I wanted to let you know that I love you."

Ranma was surprised but remembered what Rick had told him the other day.

"I love you but not in the sense that I want to marry. You're too precious to me for that. You were always more than my best friend. You were the brother I never had and was happy to refer to yourself as such. I know it felt appropriate for us to kiss in such a manner, but it was the only way I could convey my emotions.

"With the way that Zentraedi talked, please do your best to keep me and mom and Nabiki plus my aunt and uncle and cousins safe. I have full confidence that with you out there, we'll make it through."

Ranma didn't know how to respond to that. Unfortunately by the time he could respond, Minmei was gone, and so was Kyle.

* * *

Nabiki was sitting at one of the outdoor café. It was yet another beautiful day in the city as she still marveled at what the scientists were able to do. On the table was the camera Ranma had bought. Nowadays she only brought it out for class, since she had photographed everything there was. Today she had it out because Minmei had asked her to take some pictures of her. She was happy about it, for it was to be her first paid job.

Unfortunately Minmei was supposed to meet twenty minutes late. Though their friendship may have improved, the one thing she hated was waiting. But she wasn't going to do anything about it. The businesswoman in her reminded her that she couldn't tell off the client. So she continued to wait.

It wasn't like she hated waiting on this particular day. It allowed her to show her outfit off to the many guys on the ship. She had on a tan coat that went down to her knees. There was no need for it. Rain was schedule for another week, but she like wearing it nonetheless. Underneath it she had on a white blouse and a black skirt that came to mid-thigh, but since she was sitting down, it stopped just above the knee length white stockings she wore.

She found it interesting the way the outfit seemed to advertise that she was an available woman. Nabiki could see the men that were trying to inconspicuous while "checking her out" as they passed. She was thankful that none had the courage to come over to her. There was only one guy on this ship for her. Too bad things with that guy weren't proceeding the way she would have liked.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a panicked looking Minmei. Not only did she have panicked looked, she was out of breath from running from something, which was quite interesting considering she could get a ride at any point in time.

"Nabiki, you know how I feel about you and Ranma. But if there is anything you wish to tell him, I would do so right now."

Nabiki was confused by this statement. Sure she understood the first part. Though she may have been friendly with her, Minmei had made it known Nabiki was to have no business with Ranma.

"I-I don't understand?" questioned Nabiki.

Minmei started her explanation by saying that she wasn't sure if it was okay to tell Nabiki this. Nabiki immediately understood that it had be something serious. She listened closely as Minmei told her about the meeting she had just came from, in which she learned of an impending attack that was sure to destroy the SDF-1 and possibly Earth. Nabiki gasped at hearing that, much in the same way Minmei had when she heard. Her mind instantly went to her sisters, Akane with her husband and daughter and Kasumi, who should be married to Ono Tofu by now. She didn't know how older sister relationship was developing since she hadn't been able to call home in months.

"Look, I'm off to see Rick. I want to get married before he launches." And Minmei started running for the base.

Nabiki watched her probably head back in the direction she had came from. She knew that she needed to head into that direction also. With the thought that this might be her last hours of life, she realized that she was going to have to straight out profess her love to him. Though before she left, she made way to the restroom as there was one quick thing she needed to do before she headed to Ranma's room.

* * *

It didn't take long for the two commander officers to hash out a means for attack. In fact, Breetai and Exedore were quite surprised by the way the Micronians worked. It confirmed that they were up against an equal when it came to the mental aspect of warfare. Probably vastly outnumbering the Micronians would have been the only way to defeat them.

The strategy was simple. It was a strategy that both societies had employed with great effectiveness. It called for the destruction of Dolza's command ship. It was Gloval's belief that if they could do this, the Zentraedi that were part of the Grand Fleet wouldn't have the will to continue the fight. Or else it would give Breetai time to exert his authority, being that he was the second highest ranking Zentraedi.

When it came down to leading the attack, it fell to the SDF-1. It was by default since it was the most powerful battleship in local space. That was due to the fact that Breetai knew of its capabilities, having once served on it before it was swept away to Earth.

Now it only came down to how they were going to maneuver the SDF-1 close to Dolza's command ship without being destroyed.

* * *

Breetai sat on his bridge. Preparations for the upcoming battle were moving smoothly. He wished that Exedore was there, but at the moment he had some more pressing matters.

Though there were four different fleets in this part of the universe, two of those fleets were under different commands. It would be easy to assume that the fleets under Khyron and Azonia would join in the coming battle. However they didn't have to follow his orders, even though he was the highest ranking Zentraedi on the battlefield.

Soon he had Azonia on the projecbeam. "So what's your decision?"

For Azonia, the answer was obvious. She had put them in this predicament, so she and those in her command would fight. The thought of the Grand Fleet coming to exterminate her was frightening, but it didn't overcome the Zentraedi need for combat.

Breetai was happy to hear that she would join in the fight. He had thought of her as a competent commander for a female and didn't mind being replaced by her.

"May you win every fight," stated Breetai.

She took that phrase as high praise. "And to you as well, Commander."

With her decision given, Azonia's face was replaced by Khyron. He asked him the same thing and received the answer that he expected. He knew Khyron wouldn't fight. There was nothing for him to gain. As far as he saw it, it was a no win situation. With his decision in hand, Breetai quickly dismissed him by saying that he didn't have faith in Khyron in the first place.

Hearing that, Khyron was hot. He began screaming at Breetai and would have come through the projecbeam if possible. That was if the projecbeam hadn't been cut off. As he slouched back into his command chair, he ordered Grel to get them away from there. When asked where, he replied anywhere.

* * *

Rick was in his room mentally preparing himself for battle. He knew was that something big was about to happen but wasn't sure how big. He could have easily walked down the hall to Ranma's room to find out, but he decided to wait until the preflight briefing.

Rick finished suiting up when there was a knock on the door. Figuring that it was Ranma on his way to the _Prometheus_, he said it was open. It was almost a "speak of the devil" moment, as the door opened to Minmei rushing into the room and planting a kiss on his lips. A kiss he gladly returned. It was probably a couple of minutes before they separated rather reluctantly.

"What's this about?" asked Rick, keeping in his embrace.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my fiancé?" was Minmei's response. She wore a look of being hurt that such a question was asked. Rick didn't respond, in fear that there would be some serious consequences if he gave the wrong answer. The silence in their embrace lasted about as long as their kiss.

"It's just that I know what's about to happen."

Rick was confused. What did she mean by that?

"They had me in this meeting with this Zentraedi, who I think is supposed to be someone important. Well, in the middle of the meeting, he gets this call. When he's finished, he tells Captain Gloval that he should have the SDF-1 leave Earth because there's this grand fleet on its way here."

That was all that Rick needed to hear. He had read the report from when Ranma, Lisa, and Ben were interrogated. This grand fleet had to be the Zentraedi warships they reportedly saw. And if that was true, from Ranma and Lisa's estimates, close to five million ships were on their way to Earth.

At that moment, the Grand Fleet arrived in Earthspace.

* * *

It was like the gates of Hell had opened up at Alaska Base. On every monitor were the signatures of the incoming Zentraedi fleet. The day had started out normally. Techs monitored the happens of space, all feeling sorry for the poor souls on the SDF-1 but almost none would trade places with them, even though it was once considered a glamour duty location.

When one of the Zentraedi ship advanced on the SDF-1, only one person raised an eyebrow. Everyone was set to monitor yet another battle. When word came down that the Zentraedi were sending an envoy, it grabbed all of their attentions. It was briefly believed that some type of treaty was being hashed, and with that belief, the council busied themselves to prevent Gloval from doing something rash.

Then the other ships started to appear. The first thing that went through the minds of the members on the UEDC was _Gloval's gone and brought the end of the world upon us!_

Instead of preparing some type of mission to strike a deal beneficial to the council, Alaska Base mobilized every unit for the defense of Earth, something that was supposed to be the sole responsibility of the SDF-1. But a fleet that kept growing in number meant that it would be overpowered, thus leaving them open for invasion.

There was one person who knew things were grave for the Earth. Lisa busily directed units to where computer models had been projected as possible invasion points. Unfortunately she knew that there would be no invasion, and if the council had truly read her report, they would have known there was no invasion. She knew her planet would soon end up like that planet the Zentraedi used in the demonstration to show Ranma, Ben and her their power.

For a brief moment, she looked at the monitor that displayed the SDF-1 and prayed that it and her friends would make it out of this.

* * *

Ranma was running behind most of the pilots in his preparations for battle, and he could only blame himself for it. He hadn't intended to dress in his room, but unfortunately the wrong flight suit was in his locker. Seeing the one for his female body, he drove back to the barracks for his regular suit and had yet to return it.

So his pants were literally down when the door tone sounded. He had a feeling it might be Rick. So he offhandedly voiced the door to open. He was in his chair, which faced away from the door, starting to put on his suit, waiting for the question.

Unfortunately the sound of heals let him know that it wasn't Rick. With the sound of the door closing, he turned his head and found Nabiki standing there, wearing a knee length tan coat that was tied by a strap. Seeing her in this outfit, the coat, the white stockings, and the heels, got his attention. "N-Nabiki, what are you doing here? What's wrong?" He noticed the worried look on her face. It briefly reminded him of the look she had when she caught with her at the train terminal.

In response to Ranma's questions, Nabiki untied her coat and let it fall to the floor, which also collected Ranma's jaw. For underneath the coat, Nabiki wore nothing, having taken her clothes in the restroom of the café. She now stood in only stockings and heels. Though she knew what she had done, she wanted to cover herself, having never felt so naked in her life. However she knew she couldn't do that as she made the conscious decision to let Ranma see her like this.

"Minmei told me," she spoke softly. It was a tone Ranma had never heard from the Tendo sibling. "She told me that a grand fleet was coming. She told me that this might be our last day alive.

"I-I don't wanna die. I-I don't wanna die not knowing the joys of womanhood or the taste of a man's lips or how it feels to be in his warm embrace. I-I don't wanna die a virgin. But there is only one man I want to give that to. And I'm standing in front of him, offering myself to him…"

Nabiki continued talking, but Ranma wasn't paying attention. That's not true. One part of his anatomy was paying attention. In fact his "second" brain was the only thing that was functioning ever since the coat fell to the floor. It felt bizarre to him. Ranma had seen the nude female body millions of times. He had it rubbed up against him numerous times thanks to an amorous Amazon. Seeing Nabiki, she was sexy.

And she was offering herself to him, which was the only thing his "second" brain caught. She continued to talk, but she never finished what she wanted to say. She saw Ranma move; at least she thought she saw him move. What she did know, her exposed rear and back were pressed against the cold door and Ranma's lips were on hers, tongue trying to enter.

* * *

Rick and Minmei were unfortunate to witness the ships of the Grand Fleet's arrival into Earthspace. They were horrified when the ships started powering up their guns. It could only mean one thing. Before they had the chance to think it, those guns opened fire.

The people on Earth, with the exception of the UEDC, the RDF and some within the scientific community, did not know what hit them. It caught people unaware, much like the citizens of Hiroshima in 1945. For them, it was just another day. People slept, played, studied, and lived.

Minmei covered her mouth as she thought about her parents. At that moment she knew they would never have the chance to meet their son-in-law or see their grandchildren. They would never get to see what she had become. She would never get to say how much she loved them, especially after the way she left them the last two times.

It was different for Rick. His parents had died before he was sixteen. His "big brother" was gone too. The only family he had lived on the ship with him. But the Earth was his home, and his home was being destroyed. The only thing he could think of doing was to hold Minmei, and let her cry on his shoulder.

Minmei looked out the window and saw not the blue, white, green planet that she knew and loved but a planet that was mostly brown with flicks of blue. She knew it was dead. She cried even harder. Then she looked up to Rick and asked the same thing as others witnessing this event. "Is this how it going to end?"

Rick didn't have an answer for her. Almost nobody had an answer. But on Earth, a response was being set in motion. The UEDC believed that Alaska Base might be the sole survivors of Earth. With that mindset, they believed that they should prove to the Zentraedi fleet that they were not about to die off without a fight. In doing so, it was decided to power up the Grand Cannon.

The earth shook as the countdown started. No one was sure if it stemmed from the pounding the planet just received or the Grand Cannon gathering energy. Being the only functional reflex furnace on the planet, the cannons effect was still theoretical, even though it was evident what reflex energy could do thanks to the unofficial test provided by the SDF-1.

The scientists who developed the cannon weren't even sure it would work properly. The Grand Cannon was designed to work with strategically placed satellites, which would direct the energy to its intended target. However the placement of the targeting satellites had been postponed with a Zentraedi fleet positioned on the Earth's front porch.

Only one person in the entire base didn't think that this would be a success. To Lisa, there was no chance that the cannon could take out the fleet. She only hoped that it would not be the death of her, when they let the Zentraedi know that there were still some people alive.

"Captain, sensors are picking up a buildup of energy near the north pole."

That was all the warning given to Gloval and Exedore before the Grand Cannon fired. The blackness that was space lit up like there was a sun nearby. The twin beams of energy from the cannon swept across a small portion of space, vaporizing thousands of ships of the Grand Fleet in its paths, leaving a hole in the formation. Even though there was a hole in Dolza's formation, it barely did any damage.

By looking at Gloval, one would have thought they had victory within their grasp. The way he showed joy in mentioning that Alaska Base had survived the attack, one would have thought there was hope for reinforcements. But it was all to give him some hope that one of his crew was still alive on whatever their mother planet was now.

After witnessing Earth's counterattack, Rick answered. "No this is not how it ends. We still have hope. The same hope we started out with when we were lost. The same hope we had while we made our way from Pluto's orbit." Rick paused as a sudden idea came to mind.

"And you could be out instrument of hope."

Minmei looked at him confused. How could she be the instrument of hope?

* * *

As Rick led Minmei out of the barracks, they passed by Ranma's room. If they had been there five minutes earlier, they would have ran into him. They would have also seen him with the biggest smile he'd ever had. Though it would have seemed out of place for the situation, subconsciously Rick would have recognized that smile.

Inside Ranma's room, Nabiki's coat still laid on the floor. One of her shoes was near it, while the other appeared to be kicked off towards the opposite wall. Her leggings were clumped on the floor at the end of the bed.

On the bed laid the nude Nabiki, glistening with sweat. She had a smile that could have rivaled Ranma's. She was in orgasmic bliss. She could feel every nerve ending fire, making it appears that her limbs were twitching. She couldn't believe that it was the first time Ranma had sex. She couldn't believe he had such endurance, and his semen output made her think that she could have the appearance of a pregnant woman. Are men even capable of produce that much seed?

Speaking of seed, she could literally feel his sperm swimming in her uterus. _Wait_, Nabiki thought. _He came inside me._

"Fuck!"

* * *

Every Veritech fighter it carried surrounded the SDF-1, and every Destroid was on its surface. Thanks to Ranma's rescue flight, all of the Veritechs were retrofitted with the new armored package, which included more weaponry. The attack was to be coordinated with the Zentraedi forces under Breetai's command, which were specially marked to prevent friendly fire. Inside, the civilians were all in their designated shelters.

There was a last minute addition to what had been a simple plan. Gloval listened to this addition warm up in a compartment of the "head" of the SDF-1. Thanks to a suggestion from one of his junior officers, they were going to use a little psychological warfare in the attack.

Since this change happened after the pilot briefings, Captain Gloval explained to them what was going to happen. They were to leave all communication channels open, as were the Zentraedi, and Lynn Minmei was going sing. Most every pilot was surprised to hear this, Ranma more than most. After the surprise wore off, some realized that Minmei was to be the siren that would mark their victory. There were those well versed in Greek Mythology who realized the purpose of using Minmei to lead the Zentraedi to their defeat, especially since they had heard that it was her songs that caused the defections.

Soon, Minmei appeared on their tac-nets, wearing a true green top with shoulder poofs and a white with green poke a dot skirt that came down to just above the knee. After a brief second of silence, the band started playing, and Minmei sang _My Boyfriend's a Pilot_.

As usual, it caused Rick to feel embarrassed.

Among Dolza's fleet, the Zentraedi wondered what was going on. On all communication frequencies, there was nothing but this Micronian female producing this weird sound.

The attack had yet to start when Minmei finished singing. Gloval felt that he should let the shock set in before anything happened.

With the song over, Kyle suddenly appeared, causing confusion between both Ranma and Rick. Minmei wasn't surprised to see him, though she knew she was going to have to explain what was about to happen to both her "brother" and her fiancé. When she had gone up to the bridge to receive approval from Captain Gloval, the Zentraedi that let them know about the upcoming attack asked if she could include a kiss. It surprised her that he would request such a thing, but he explained to her that Zentraedi have never seen anything like that between a male and a female. Though she didn't want to use Kyle for this, he was the only one to come to mind on short notice. Of course she had to explain to him that he was to not make anything of it.

They kissed, which was completely appalling to the Zentraedi in Dolza's fleet, including Dolza. Remembering the reaction during his interrogation, Ranma was quick to pick up on the tactic and order the fighter wing to attack.

When Minmei broke the kiss, she turned and saw the fighters leaving away. Then she went into _Little White Dragon_. At this time, Gloval ordered the SDF-1 to advance, joined by Breetai's fleet.

* * *

On Earth, in the depth of what was Alaska Base, Lisa was trying to find a terminal to find out what was happening. She wasn't sure if it was a counterattack or something to do with the use of Grand Cannon, but within seconds of its use, the entire base rumbled. Then portions of the structure started falling. In the room where Lisa worked, the ceiling fell down. Lisa was saved from death by divine intervention. Some would have said she was saved by quickly getting underneath her console. However that couldn't explain why the girls to her sides were crushed underneath their consoles.

Eventually she made it to a room with usable consoles. The base shook from an expulsion as she put on the headset. She spent two minutes trying to find out if there were others still alive but unfortunately was receiving any responses. When an image finally appeared on the console, she was surprised, yet happy to see her father. He was still alive, meaning the Situation Room was still operational.

However upon closer look, she could see the fires in the background. Looking at her father, Lisa saw blood was flowing down his head.

"Lisa, is that you?" he asked while she was taking in his environment. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, papa," Lisa replied. Her voice had softened invoking the affections she still had for him.

Knowing that his daughter was okay, Admiral Hayes went on to apologize for her brought there. He went on to apologize for all the things that he did wrong to her, especially his attitude towards her after her mother's death, and after she joined the military because of Karl Riber, and after she requested for duty on the SDF-1. He finished his apology by saying, "The one thing I'm going to regret is meeting that guy of yours." That was quickly followed by an eruption from within the room. Fire quickly overcame the monitor, and before it went dead, Lisa heard her father's death scream.

"Papa. PAPA! NO!"

And then she was the last one in her family. For about a half-hour, she was in shock. Eventually, she opened all communication frequencies and started calling for a rescue. She wasn't sure if it was possible, as she didn't know if there was anybody left alive.

* * *

The battle was trending in the RDF's favor. The strategy of using Minmei worked perfectly. Battlepods and Zentraedi fighters had sat listlessly as they were perplexed by the singing, leaving them vulnerable to the Veritechs. When they finally started to put up a fight, it felt as if they were at a disadvantage. All of the squadrons had implemented some form of Ranma's training regiment after seeing the lack of attrition from Skull and Vermilion squadrons after the last few sorties.

The same could be said for the ships in the Grand Fleet. Ships that were positioned in path of Dolza's ship were destroyed before they realized what was happening.

Ranma and Rick were having much success. As wing mates, no communication was needed to cover each other's back. With the new weaponry at their disposal, they took out fighter, 'pods, and even small cruisers. However the success wasn't limited to those two, as the entire Skull Squadron followed Ranma's attack pattern.

Unfortunately success for Ranma didn't last too much longer. Ever the heroic type, his eyes caught by the dogfight between Lt. Fosher and a couple of Battlepods. Fosher was proving himself an excellent pilot, proving Ranma's decision on making him Vermilion commander. However remembering Fosher had a wife on the SDF-1 and not wanting a family broken up, he broke formation from Rick and sped to the rescue.

Parker was right happy when the two Battlepods were suddenly destroyed. Tried as he might, it appeared impossible to get them off his tail. He knew it was pure skill and training that he wasn't already dead after the second Battlepod came into the picture. When he saw that it was Commander Saotome that came to his rescue, he was even more grateful to his commander. That gratitude was short lived when the threat alarm went off. Parker looked out and saw a score of missiles headed in the general direction of him, in fighter mode, and Ranma, in Battloid mode.

Ranma saw them and cursed at himself for not paying attention. Although Lt. Fosher was in the area, he knew that the missiles were aimed for him. True to his belief, the missiles veered towards him. As quick as his mind could work and as analytical it was in a fight, the only thing that he could think of was cover himself and hoped that the extra armor on the Veritech would protect him.

As the missiles struck, all that Parker (and Rick) could see were the tell tale signs of an exploding machine. They stared in disbelief. No one thought it was possible for the Great Ranma Saotome to go out like that, just like no one thought that Roy Fokker could be taken out.

Suddenly they were filled will great fury. Fury at witnessing the improbable. Fury at the inability to stop it from happening. There was only one thing that could be done with that fury, and that was to redirect it somewhere else. The two went after the Zentraedi with great ferocity never seen before in combat.

Their ferocity was picked up by the other pilots, though none of them knew why. It was quickly picked by their fellow Zentraedi pilots, then their Zentraedi cruisers. Though the Zentraedi of the Grand Fleet outnumbered their opponent, lesser commanders were quick to realize that maybe they had bitten off more than they could chew.

* * *

Ranma opened his eyes to the sight of clouds of explosions from his monitors. The first thing he did was pinch himself to make us that he wasn't dreaming. He was still alive after taking that barrage of missiles. He should be dead, but he could feel the seat and hear Minmei still singing.

Ranma immediately recognized his Veritech was speeding from the battle. He quickly theorized there must have been fratricide amongst the missiles, and the concussion from the explosions must have knocked him and changed the momentum of the Veritech. Once he arrested the momentum of his Battloid, he was all set to return to the battle, but another caution light warned him that he was too close to the Earth's atmosphere. He wondered how long he was knocked out to get pushed that far away from the combat zone. But he didn't time to speculate as he needed to prepare for reentry.

Knowing that he was now caught in Earth's gravity, he blew off the armament and transformed into fighter mode. Once done, he angled himself for reentry, covering the canopy with the heat shield, which quickly cooled the cockpit. One of the beauties of the Veritech's design was its ability to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. It's one of the improvements over its predecessors.

When Ranma was finally through the outer atmosphere, he retracted the heat shield and extended the wings to slow down his air speed. The first thing that he noticed was that his home was a desolated wasteland. There was nothing. His radio was also silent. He changed frequencies to hear if there were any signs of life. He wished he could at least hear Minmei.

He was set to give up on scanning the radio frequencies, when he heard a Mayday. The radio had moved to the frequency before he realized what he heard. He quickly turned back to make sure he wasn't hearing things. But it was there, clear as day. What was unbelievable, he recognized the voice.

"Lisa, is that you?"

He heard a gasp from Lisa who was startled to hear someone.

"Ranma! Ranma, is that really you?" she replied.

"The one and only."

"Thank God! I'm trapped in Alaska Base, and I think I'm the only one still alive."

Ranma programmed the computer for Alaska Base. "Okay, I'm on my way to get you."

* * *

The SDF-1 advanced closer to Dolza's flagship. Nothing Dolza threw at it seemed to stop the advance. But that didn't mean Dolza wasn't confident that he would still destroy Zor's battle fortress. His ship was the most powerful in the entire galaxy.

As the SDF-1 continued its advance, Rick Hunter, acting as the CAG, had the wing form a barrier around it. He made sure that none of the Veritechs were in its line of fire, but he changed the original strategy to make sure no Zentraedi ship made its way towards the SDF-1. He figured that it was only a matter of time before the Zentraedi figured out the SDF-1's course of action.

As the SDF-1 advanced, Gloval prepared for the final attack. Fighters returned to hanger bays not used in a long time to rearmament. This continued until the SDF-1 was mere meters away from Dolza's flagship. At this time, all of the Veritechs either returned to the SDF-1 or landed on Breetai's flagship.

The next course of action, Gloval ordered the activation of the pin point barrier system and deployed them the tips of the main cannon and _Prometheus _and_ Daedalus_. All this was in preparation of ramming into the heart Dolza's ship.

The surrounding Zentraedi should have realized something was up when Breetai and his fleet folded out of the area within seconds of the SDF-1 penetrating into Dolza's flagship.

The SDF-1 plunged deep into the ship, severing bulkheads and corridors, killing soldiers in the process. Eventually it made it into an enormous hold. Gloval was told what to expect by Exedore when they were to reach the center of Dolza's ship, but to actually see it was something else. He saw that there were even more ships inside than surrounding Earth.

The true soldier in him made sure that he didn't react to the sight. He quickly ordered the start of the second phase. Hatches opened, and racks and racks of missiles appeared. These weren't the normal missiles. These were the reflex missiles that Dr. Lang had been developing for use against Breetai's flagship.

When all the missile racks were in place, Gloval ordered Claudia to fire. Everywhere there was nothing to see but missile contrails as the missiles searched for metal to impact. Once the missiles were away, the pin point barrier was deactivated and was replaced by the recently revamped omni-directional barrier.

Seconds later, the space around Earth turned white and very bright. Brighter than the sun.

* * *

Ranma's travel to Alaska Base didn't take long. He had reentered above Mongolia, so it was just a simple change in direction. As he flew closer to the base, it appeared to be unnaturally dark. It also seemed to be unnaturally cloudy, spewing lightning.

Once he got over these facts, he spotted the runway that was over the base. However he didn't have any knowledge of Alaska Base being positioned underground, so he immediately assumed that it was destroyed on his way there. He tried calling for Lisa, thinking that maybe there was some underground bunker, but all he received was static.

He flew over a huge gaping hole. It didn't appear that it should have been there, especially since it appeared to be made of metal and was perfectly round. It took a second pass for Ranma to realize that Lisa was down there. Changing to Guardian mode, he went down the hole. He descended for a couple of minutes, and in the process, he missed seeing the sky turn white, signifying the end of the battle.

When he finally arrived at the bottom, he shot forward in the only direction available to him. He skated down the corridor until he came to a dead-end due to a downed bulkhead. Unfortunately, he had no missiles, so he used the lasers from the turret and cut a hole into the metal. The hole was too small for the Guardian, so he hopped down from the cockpit to begin his track through an unknown base to find Lisa.

However, when he stepped through the hole, he found the reason why he wasn't getting a response from Lisa, for she was there. Maybe she had been waiting for Ranma once he told her he was on his way or maybe she had been trapped between two bulkheads. He didn't care whichever it was. He was just happy to see her. He didn't even care that she looked like a mess.

The feeling was obviously mutual as Lisa came running to him and gave him big kiss of gratitude. No words were said as she broke the kiss and Ranma took her to his Veritech. It was now to get out of here. He could feel the base rumbling. There was no telling how much longer the base was going to last.

"Here, put this on," he said, handing her his "thinking cap."

Though Lisa didn't understand why she needed it, she put it on nonetheless. She situated herself into Ranma's lap as the canopy to the Veritech came down. She never realized how happy she would be to feel the engines of the Veritech warm up as she did then.

Soon the Guardian was skating back down the corridor. Lisa recoiled as they raced past sparking live wires.

As they were ascending, she spoke for the first time when she mentioned that the shaft was the barrel of the Grand Cannon. Ranma guessed he was supposed to be impressed by this knowledge. A portion of the barrel exploded right above them half way up. The shockwave blew out the glass of the canopy. Lisa felt grateful that she had on the helmet, until she remembered that it belonged to Ranma. But looking at him, it didn't seem that it affected him.

When they finally exited the shaft, Ranma mechamorphasized the Veritech to Fighter and flew away.

* * *

Three hours had passed when Ranma finally landed. He had changed back to Guardian when he realized how ridiculously cold it was while flying with no glass in the canopy.

Once the engines were off, Ranma blew off the canopy. This allowed Lisa to get off his lap and sit on the edge of the cockpit. That allowed Ranma to stand up and stretch his legs.

"Thank you for saving me again," commented Lisa.

"Well it is what I do best."

The both laughed at that.

"Did I ever tell you how much I hated you for saving me that first time?" asked Lisa.

Ranma didn't respond to that. He remembered that he hated her at that time too. She was so much like Akane then-very quick to judge, especially the lingerie incident. He probably would not have done it if his uncle hadn't ordered him.

Lisa continued, "I really wanted to stay in the room of my old boyfriend as I had wished to join him in death."

"I wonder how different things would have been if I had Rick save you instead?" Ranma threw out without thinking.

Lisa thought about it then stated that Rick would probably be here instead of Ranma, since Rick would have been given what Ranma was given after he saved her. She said that with a giggle. It ruffled Ranma a little with the thought of being second to anybody.

Lisa stopped with a sigh. A sudden breeze came and blew her hair across her face. As she moved it away, she was able to pick up the scent of the ocean. As they were making their way down the coast, she was surprised to see the Pacific Ocean. She looked out to their surroundings and saw nothing but wasteland to go along with the ocean air. She turned her head towards Ranma, who appeared to move his quickly down to the tac-net.

"You know, I came through this area once," commented Ranma.

Lisa was confused by this. She had no clue where they were for him to make that comment. Of course she should have realized that Ranma was looking at the Veritech's computer, which showed that they were in what used to be Olympic National Park in what was western Washington State.

"Yeah. My old man wanted me see the grave of one of his martial artist idols in Seattle. It's one of the reasons I had to learn English."

There was a moment of silence as neither knew what to say. After awhile, Lisa had a realization of what the silence meant. She then looked up to the sky.

"Do you think anybody survived?" she asked.

Ranma answered with a very definitive yes. It was so definitive that it shocked Lisa.

"How can you say that?"

"I can feel it," was his response, which caused Lisa to laugh. In turn, Ranma asked what was funny. To Lisa it was obvious that Ranma had never seen _Return of the Jedi_ as he just had a Princess Leia moment. Of course it meant that she had to explain it in order for him to understand what she was saying.

"Well, I guess the "Force" is real, for I can feel that my mom is alive, as well as some other people here on Earth."

It seemed like things happened on cue. The sun was rising, making it easy to pick up a silhouette of a man-like machine descending from space. It was the rather familiar silhouette of the SDF-1. From the makeup of the silhouette, it didn't look the same, but it was the SDF-1 nonetheless. It was a very pleasurable sight to see.

"Shall we go?" asked Ranma, getting back into his seat.

"Let's."


	23. Two Years Later revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 23: Two Year Later

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Rick Hunter was in the middle of yet another routine patrol. Unlike patrols during the war, patrols these days were to see how the Earth was recovering from the Grand Fleet's attack. Initially it had been thought the entire planet was desolated. However this was proven not to be accurate. Sure, the majority of the planet wasn't as green as it used to be and the sea level was lower. However there were places left untouched, such as pockets of grain fields in North America, some vineyards in France, royal palaces in England, and a forest on southern portion of the island Honshu Japan. Much of the remaining human population survived near these same pockets. Seeing how the Grand Fleet's attack left of the Earth, the fact that there were survivors was a miracle, though it was now a 1% of the population of 2011.

Rick seldom concerned himself with how the world has changed. At the moment he flew over the state of Oregon. Beneath him, the landscape looked reminiscent of the moon. It saddened him at times. He grew up around this area. He learned how to fly in these same skies.

Having to fly up and down the Pacific Coast was taxing, seeing nothing but impact craters from the laser strike plus space debris from downed Zentraedi warships. In some ways he was fortunate to get the Pacific Coast. There were those pilots who either had long flight patrols to or were stationed in Europe or South America. This had become necessary due to the satellites being knocked out by the bombardment. Ranma had made these various surveying patrol assignments last year. However Ranma and some select squadron commanders were currently in Japan working on the development of the next generation of Veritechs.

Rick was flying over the Columbia Plateau when he spotted a patch of green and yellow that hadn't been reported the last time this area was patrolled. Wanting to investigate, he brought his Veritech down. Seeing the patch of green from the air was one thing. Seeing the field up close was surprising. He kneeled down, took off a glove, ran his hand through the grass. As he stepped through the field of grass, he felt a youthful pull to run through.

He was happy to see grass and flowers that were not grown in the botanical gardens of New Macross City. But there was still a reminder of the reasons were so few places with "wild" plants and grasses. Off to the side of the patch laid a rusty and holey Veritech. This wasn't the first one that Rick had seen, though he had thought salvage teams had recovered all the wreckage of Veritechs and Battlepods.

* * *

A flight of three Skull Squadron Veritechs were making a course further south from Rick. "Do you actually think we'll find something out here today?" asked Ensign Jensen. Jensen was one of the newest members to the Squadron, having never met his actual commander. Jensen was one of the few to survive in the Pacific Northwest, joining the RDF upon seeing the SDF-1 standing waist deep in a lake on western Washington, around which sprung up New Macross City.

"Most likely not," said Lt. (jg) Fernandez. Fernandez was one of the fortunate few to be reassigned to the SDF-1 before it was redeployed to space.

"Then why is it that we have these patrols every few days, if there's nothing out there?" asked Jensen.

"C'mon, Jensen. It's not like you don't know the reasons," commented Fernandez. "We're to prevent any possible Zentraedi upraising."

"Even so, I would rather have Commander Saotome's assignment over this."

"All right, you two. Quit your yapping," said Lt. Barton, leader of the flight and one of the veterans from the rings of Saturn. He went on to state that they were changing course. It seemed that the SDF-1 wanted them along the eastern coast of the continent.

* * *

Rick spent a little more time at the patch before continuing his patrol, taking a dandelion with him. As made his way south, he made contact with the other flight.

"Fellas, you wouldn't believe what I found?"

He held up the dandelion and received gasped. The three couldn't remember the last time they had seen one. It was a weed, and weeds weren't grown in the botanical gardens. This could be interpreted as the Earth recovering.

"Maybe we might find something like that along the Chesapeake," remarked Jensen.

That took Rick by surprise. Maybe he heard him wrong? The Chesapeake was on the other side of the continent.

He finished his conversation with the other patrol with the thought of call SDF-1 control to find out was going on. Unfortunately another broadcast came over his tac-net.

"'_Silver Moon, Red Moon'_

_You are so cool, Shanghai Dandy._

_The smoke of Gitanes gets in my eyes."_

Rick could hear the applause of a crowd, as he recognized the voice of his wife that he hadn't seen in a couple of months. Next came a man's voice welcoming said crowd of Granite City to the Lynn Minmei's concert. Rick recognized the voice as belonging to Lynn Kyle.

He was surprise to hear the announcement but ashamed that he didn't know his wife's concert schedule. He realized that Kyle said that they were at Granite City, meaning Minmei was back on the continent. Though it would be unauthorized, he felt it would be great to drop in on his wife, especially since Granite City just so happened to be on the way.

And it gave him an excuse to open up the afterburners.

* * *

Lisa poured three cups of punch. It was her day off, and she found herself babysitting Achika and Ranma's two little one year olds, Akito and Sakura. That wasn't bad, for she liked to think of herself as their auntie. And it allowed the use of her baking skill, especially for cookies at snack time.

She also thought of it as training for when she had one of her own. Though there was no telling when that day would come considering a certain someone was hesitant to make a move. Officially she and Ranma were "just friends." However everybody treated them as off limits, which was disheartening to some of the female officers. Unfortunately nothing was currently happening between the two. For one, Ranma was in Japan, where the Robotech R&D labs had relocated.

"Book, Misa. Book," came the voice of little child. She looked at Akito with his brown hair, like his mother, and blue eyes, like his father, holding a hardcover edition of Harry Potter. He was a rather cute kid; however he was very much Nabiki's child. The fact that she was watching him could have been problematic since she saw Nabiki as her chief rival for Ranma's affection. Nevertheless the "cute factor" seemed to win her over, such as the way he mispronounced her name.

"Yes, we'll continue where we left off," she commented as she placed the cups on the tray. Reading during snack time was some she liked. It brought memories of when she was their ages. They liked listening to her read Harry Potter, which was her favorite series of books. Akito was more fascinated by the story of a young wizard than the two girls.

She took the tray into the living room with Akito following as closely as he could. In there sat two well-mannered girls on the carpeted floor, waiting for snacks. For a mixed raced change, Achika could easily pass as Caucasian, especially since she had her father's blonde hair. As for little Sakura, Lisa could tell she was going to grow to look like her father's female form with her fiery red hair.

"Here you go kids," she said, placing the tray on the coffee table.

The three picked up their cups and cookies. There was no fighting as Lisa had made sure the children knew which was theirs. Akito's was blue as it was his favorite colors. Achika's had butterflies because she was fascinated by the insect. Sakura's had a picture of Ranma. She worshipped everything that was her daddy. She rarely spoke to anyone but him. Ranma claimed when she spoke, it was completely understandable. Lisa would have to take his word on that.

Lisa opened the book and continued from where she left off. The children gave Lisa their apt attention. Sometimes she believed she could actually see their imaginations at work in their little eyes.

Snack time often led to naps whenever she read. Achika was on the verge of falling asleep when the door bell rang. The kids were instantly awake. The Saotome twins were on their feet, jumping in anticipation of who was at the door.

Lisa opened to the door to see two women. One of them she knew. Nodoka Hasegawa had come to pick up her grandchildren. As for the other woman, Lisa was certain that she was the reason Lisa was watching Akito and Sakura in the first place.

"I really appreciate you doing this for me," stated Nodoka, stepping into the house. Akito and Sakura were instantly attached to her legs.

"It was no problem," replied Lisa.

"Still, I owe you my thanks. I'm not sure they're up for long car trips yet," commented Nodoka. "Oh! This is Nabiki's sister, Kasumi."

Lisa knew of the name from Ranma. Now she had a body to go with the name. She came to the conclusion that the Tendo women had to be the best looking women left on Earth after meeting two of the three sisters. Thinking of this was a hit to her self confidence since Ranma once lived with all three.

"Pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard much about you from Ranma."

Kasumi bowed in response, reciprocating the pleasantries.

Nodoka explained that Kasumi had arrived from Tokyo to attend the medical school. Lisa knew that it was no doubt thanks to Ranma's help. To attend Macross Medical School had become something special. Due to the lack of doctors and medical schools around the world the college administrators decided it would be good business to open a medical school. Somehow this made it a competitive school to get in.

Because of this, Lisa had been asked if she could watch the twins due to Nodoka needing to drive to the airport. Even though New Macross City was the largest city in the region, it didn't have an airport, as its runways were strictly for military only. The closest airport was down in Monument City, a city formed by some Zentraedi about 98 miles away.

The women talked for the next half hour. Some of what they talked about was finding the secret to Nodoka's youthful appearance, who didn't look to be over the age of 29, even though she had a child in his early twenties. Nodoka knew but couldn't tell because it was a family secret; however she gave them a credible excuse. During that time, the children fell asleep again. Achika took up a spot on the couch. Akito laid himself in Nodoka's lap, and Sakura laid herself in Kasumi's lap.

Watching Kasumi stroke Sakura's hair, Lisa noticed the glow surrounding Kasumi. It was faint but quite reminiscent of the glow Claudia exuded when she was pregnant with Achika. Lisa congratulated Kasumi. Kasumi was surprised that Lisa could tell, since she hadn't made it a topic of conversation. She explained how Ranma was nice enough to give her the child she couldn't have with her boyfriend, who was killed in the "Great Rain."

At that moment, Lisa wanted to throw her out. It was hard enough to compete with one mother of his child, but two would be difficult especially when she thought they were more beautiful than her. However she realized she couldn't hate Kasumi. She just used Ranma for his seed because her true love was gone. That's how she wanted to think of the situation. She didn't want to believe Ranma was the type of would have sex with any Tendo woman.

As she had some affection towards Lisa, Nodoka sensed that maybe bringing up Ranma's new child wasn't a good thing. She quickly suggested that it would be best for them to go home. Kasumi thought it was a good deal, knowing she would soon be affected by the jetlag from traveling from Japan to the Pacific Northwest.

Once they were gone, Lisa placed Achika in her bed. She really wanted to give Ranma a piece of her mind. But the 11 hour time difference and the fact that they weren't a couple stopped that.

* * *

Rick made good time flying across country. He landed the Guardian on the outskirts of the town named after the granite quarry in the area. He followed the music into town. Unfortunately by the time he joined the crowd of humans and Zentraedi (both full-sized and micronized) the concert was coming to an end.

When the last song ended, she was rushed of the stage that was set up in the town square. The crowd stood and cheered in hopes of an encore. Unfortunately for them, there was to be no encore.

Rick didn't feel like trudging back to the Guardian, so he did an "impromptu" patrol of the streets of Granite City. As twilight set upon the city, he ended up near the waterfront of a debris created lake. It was there that he came upon Minmei and Kyle. Minmei would be very surprised to see him. However it looked like they were discussing something, so he hid behind a huge block of debris from the "Great Rain" to find out what it was.

"This is pathetic!" exclaimed Kyle, knocking over a box full of can goods and toiletries. "What the hell can we do with this stuff?"

"Kyle, they're giving us all that they can," Minmei stated.

What Rick was witnessing was part of a disagreement that had been going on for most of the tour. Since Minmei had no need for money, the tour was a fundraiser to provide aid for those unfortunate around the world. Minmei was intelligent and realized food was more desirable that money, so she preferred nonperishable goods over money. However money was the thing that Kyle wanted. Money was the reason he agreed to take over for Vance Hasselwood as Minmei's manager. Unlike Minmei, Kyle's only source of money had come from working for his family's restaurant.

Rick could see that Kyle didn't like Minmei's reply as he gave her a vicious look. Then there was the swig he took from a flask that was no doubt filled with alcohol.

Fuel was added to the argument when Minmei proclaimed that maybe it was time to end the tour and return home. Kyle did not like that suggestion. He needed this tour to be a success as investors would then pony up money to him. Minmei didn't know about the investors; she thought about seeing her husband in person rather than over webcam.

Rick had become another common argument between the two. Kyle believed that he knew everything about show business. Part of that belief was to not get involved in something that would hamper your career, i.e. getting married. Getting married was something an entertainer did towards the end of the career. Of course this was coming from a man who was in love with a married woman, who happened to be his cousin. However Minmei saw her marriage as having everything that she always dreamed. She had a man that made her heart flutter every time she thought about him.

Rick was set to spring out in the open and take his wife home. But his hand held communicator activated, which he had to quiet before the two cousins realized they weren't alone.

"What is it?" whispered Rick.

"Commander Hunter, we've been trying to contact you for the last half hour." It was man's voice that he recognized as one of the new operators.

The statement wasn't that believable since it was just now that his communicator went off. "Well, go ahead." He sounded rather annoyed.

"There have been reports of upraising in the Danube region. We don't know the exact numbers or cause, but we need you to head over there to quell the insurrection. Your team is already on its way."

Rick couldn't believe his team was the closest to the situation. Knowing how teams were deployed, he asked if Patrick Fosher was a better option, except it seemed this upraising in the Danube wasn't the only action going on at the moment.

"Okay, I guess I'm on my way then." With new orders given, he turned and found that Minmei and Kyle were gone again. He had missed the compromise the two cousins made. Kyle agreed to take Minmei back to New Macross. And for that, Minmei had to agree to continue the tour.

* * *

Lisa wanted a drink after finding out that the guy she wished to be boyfriend had fathered yet another child. The thing she hated most was that it was to another Tendo. How was she to compete against a family of women that looked so much more attractive than her? How could she compete when it looked like they were willing to throw themselves at him sexually? She felt fortunate that the last Tendo woman was married, especially since she had been Ranma's old fiancée.

As she placed a glass on the table, she had to remind herself of two things. For one, she and Ranma weren't a couple. In fact he hadn't made an attempt to ask her out on a date. So was it right for her to be concern about Ranma's sexual habits? Secondly she was watching Achika. What would Claudia say when she came to pick up her daughter and found her trusted friend drunk?

The ringing of her phone finally ended the thoughts of having a drink and Ranma.

"Sorry to disturb you on your day off, ma'am, but the admiral wants you to come in," said the same man that sent Rick out to the Danube region.

"All right, I'll be in as soon as I find a sitter."

She didn't question why Admiral Gloval wanted her to come in on her day off. Finding another babysitter was no problem as Nodoka would happily watch her niece. After making that call, she went to the closet and pulled out a uniform.

* * *

Rick was over the Pyrenees when Lisa appeared on the tac-net. "So how was your stay in Granite City?"

_Doh!_ he cringed. He forgot his location would have been known to the Tactical Center on the SDF-1.

"Did Mrs. Hasegawa-Hunter give you a private performance or did you have enough time for the horizontal mambo before duty called?"

It wasn't like Lisa to bring up personal matters while on duty. So it was obvious that she was upset about something. Nowadays that normally meant Ranma was involved. It made him wonder what Ranma had done now.

"You can't tell me when I can or cannot see my wife." That wasn't true since he was on patrol at the time, and Lisa was Rick's superior. But the words just seem to come out of his mouth. Besides he had a feeling that she was venting at Ranma through him.

Lisa countered, "I can when there's the potential of losses because you're feeling frisky!"

Rick turned off his tac-net. He was going to hear about that when he returned to Macross. There was just no way to reason with Lisa when she was like this.

* * *

On the other end, Lisa slammed her headset against her console. _The nerve of him cutting me off_, she mentally screamed.

The room holding the Tactical Center became quiet as heads turned to see what the commotion was. "I wonder what pissed Commander Hayes off this time?" whispered Kim to Sammie.

"How much you wanna bet it has something to do with Commander Saotome?" replied Sammie.

Kim wasn't about to take that bet. "I wish those two would decide already," she stated.

"Don't tell me you're done pining for Commander Hunter and want to join to multitudes after Commander Saotome?" Sammie gasped.

"Well, no," Kim responded. Even though she knew she had no chance with her ex-boyfriend, she still loved him. "But it's not like there's anything on the dating scene."

"Have you tried talking to Vanessa? I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving you one of her boyfriends."

The sound of someone clearing their throat over their headset ended their conversation. It appeared they had forgotten to turn them off, as Vanessa was listening in. She quickly informed them that Commander Hayes was watching over the railing.

Of course the sexual creature within her would not be parting with either Konda or Bron.

* * *

The city of Belgrade was a proud European capital and one of the oldest cities remaining on Earth. However that night it was under attack, for the first time in decades. Just a few weeks ago, the attackers, four Zentraedi soldier, were in Belgrade for the Lynn Minmei concert. Now they had returned disgruntled with their new lives.

They attacked with three found Battlepods and one laser rifle. They attacked Belgrade because of its population of Micronians. They were doing what they knew best. Their attack started at noon, though higher up along the river before arriving in the middle of the day. They were opposed by a detachment of Civil Defense mecha, but they weren't much of an obstacle.

They ran roughshod through Belgrade until the arrival of two teams from Skull Squadron in the middle of the rainy evening. The fighting turned into a street fight. Over time it appeared the Zentraedi had the upper hand, especially when they destroyed a Veritech out of the sky.

When another Veritech was made incapacitated, it seemed the RDF were overwhelmed by the attackers and needed reinforcements. Then Rick made his appearance, and the tide immediately changed as he disabled a Battlepod. The lone Zentraedi not in a Battlepod sensed this and left the city, leaving his rifle. This caused the remaining pilots to press the counterattack.

Destroying the second Battlepod, Rick forced the pilot of the final Battlepod to surrender. Once the giant exited the Battlepod and was disarmed, Rick destroyed it. With the insurrection quelled, the remaining Veritech made their way home.

* * *

Ranma walked up to the gates of a familiar house. It was strange to look at the surroundings of Nerima. The only that was familiar around here was the Tendo Dojo. It was close to two years since the Zentraedi attack, and there was still rumble on the ground. The ward was rebuilding, not at the rate of greater Tokyo, which had embraced the technology provided by Robotechnology and the labs of Doctor Emil Lang.

Ranma could remember the first flyover.

After returning to the SDF-1 with Lisa, Ranma had the various remaining squadrons patrol the planet to see what survive. Ranma assigned Japan to Skull Squadron and a certain region in China to himself. They flew over Japan starting with Tokyo. He smiled as he saw familiar landmarks still intact. As they continued west toward Nerima, he saw a vast amount of rubble, and in Nerima itself, there was only one structure remaining, the Tendo Dojo. When Ranma eventually flew over where he thought Jusenkyö would be, he found the whole region gone. During the patrolling of Japan, he was surprised when they found the mountains surrounding the shrine of his great (many times) grandfather were still lush with trees with the lake full of water.

When he visited the dojo, he was happy to find Kasumi, Akane, Alex and Nova alive. From them, he found out that Ukyo and their fathers didn't make it. From what they told him, the bombardment happened at a time when Ukyo was busy at her restaurant, and Soun and Genma were out drinking. However there appeared to be something shielding the dojo. Ranma was heartbroken to hear his oldest friend was dead. He was saddened that his father didn't make it, but he found it hard to grieve. There was one final person that didn't make it through the attack. Dr. Tofu. That had hit Kasumi the hardest, especially since they were supposed go on a date the following night. She was happy to be alive, yet sad because she believed Tofu was going to propose to her that night.

As for Ryoga, they were unsure because they hadn't seen him in months. So it was very possible he was alive but lost somewhere in the world.

He was able to bring them the news of becoming aunts, as he and Nabiki found out the moment of carnal lust led to pregnancy. Akane had immediately suggested that they hold the wedding at the dojo, but Ranma stopped that by saying that Nabiki didn't want to get married. That didn't sit well with Akane.

A month later, Ranma found out how the Tendo Dojo survived. He and Nodoka journeyed to their ancestral home at the Masaki Shrine to adopt and add Minmei to the family registry. There they learned the secret about their family. It provided an explanation for their hair color, why Nodoka appeared younger than her true age, and why water no longer seemed to be the main trigger to Ranma's Jusenkyö "abilities." In fact, things were done to Minmei so that she would truly become a member of her adoptive family.

Ranma knocked on the door and instantly heard the sound of little feet running toward it.

"Nova, don't touch the door," came a familiar female voice. But it didn't stop the sound or the person making it. Soon the door opened with a little girl of the age of three standing behind it. "Auntie Ranko!" Nova said with great enthusiasm and jumped into Ranma waiting arms, who had bent over at the sight of the girl.

"You've grown since I've seen you," Ranma complimented.

"I gotten this big," she said while stretching her arm apart as wide as she could. "Soon I be big as you."

Ranma chuckled at that. At three, Nova Satori already stood as tall as Ranma mid thigh in female body.

"Nova, what did I tell-" spoke Akane, who became startle to see Ranma, especially with her wearing a pink oxford and an ankle-length khaki skirt.

Likewise Ranma was startled. Akane looked as big as a house.

Akane invited Ranma inside and led her to the family room. Alex sat in front of the television with a video game set on pause. Ranma set Nova down so she could continue to play with her father. But video games were no longer on Nova's mind. She wanted to play with her favorite aunt. Thus she dragged Ranma upstairs, not even giving her a chance to talk to Alex.

"Where's Ranma?" asked Akane, coming from out of the kitchen.

"Your daughter has kidnapped her and taken her to her room."

Alex entered another game, while Akane returned to cooking. They were confident that Ranma would return whenever their daughter was done with her. It was quite predictable that was dinnertime. She asked Ranma if she would like to join them for dinner. Ranma didn't want to impose, but Akane assured her there would be enough. The four sat around the table and ate an Italian fest. Unnoticed by Ranma, Akane waited to began as she waited for Ranma's reaction.

"Mmm, this is rather good, Alex," complimented Ranma after a couple of bites.

It felt natural for her to assume that Alex cooked. She was surprised when he said that it was Akane who cooked. Akane smiled and thanked her after Ranma emphatically redirected her praise. As it turned out, most of Akane's cooking problem came down to Akane strangely not being able to cook Asian food. It took Alex's mother showing her how to cook some of Alex's favorite dishes to realize she could cook. She realized American and Italian dishes came easy to her, as long the recipe didn't call for her to cook rice.

"But I still can't bake," she admitted.

The adults had a laugh at that. Everyone continued eating with little Nova telling Auntie Ranko everything she could remember. Eventually she was no longer hungry and asked to be excused from the table. Once she and Alex left the table to play more video games, the conversation began.

"It's nice that you remembered that we lived here. You've been here for over four months, and you're just now coming to visit us," said Akane.

Ranma was surprised to hear that Akane didn't know she had been over a few times during the past few months. She thought Kasumi would have told. Kasumi did tell Akane but until she was about to leave for New Macross. It seemed that Akane wanted to say something more about Kasumi but held her tongue.

Ranma avoided answering the question by asking how things were going for her family. Things were going well economically for Tokyo, but she wanted to know how things out in this ward of Tokyo were. It seemed the Satoris had no worries. The dojo was one of the few remaining in Japan, so business was well. On top of that, the film industry in Japan was vibrant, and Alex was successful in using his family name to work on some action movies, including Minmei's second movie.

Personally, Akane missed all her friends that weren't as fortunate as her family. After a moment of silence, Ranma asked Akane when was she due to give birth and was surprised by the response.

"Seven months before Kasumi."

The look of amazement was priceless to Akane. "I always knew you were a pervert. Were you planning to father my sisters' children after we were married?"

Ranma sputtered on about that not being the case. She had no idea Kasumi was finally pregnant. Besides, fathering Kasumi and Nabiki's children was never her idea.

The situation that led to Kasumi becoming pregnant started after Ranma returned to Japan in order to work on the development of next generation of Veritech. He had called the dojo to inform Akane know he was going to be stationed in the area for at least the next six month. Kasumi informed him that the Satoris were in Okinawa then invited him over for dinner. Never one to pass up the opportunity for Kasumi's cooking, he eagerly agreed to dinner. However he had been completely surprised to see Kasumi's naked beauty when she opened the door. She had confessed that besides Ono Tofu, he was the only other man she would ever have romantic feelings. Much like Nabiki, she didn't realize these feelings until the family was informed of Ranma's apparent death on Macross Island. It was a love that almost equaled her love for Ono. She had been quite conflicted by these feelings but was fortunate that Ranma was dead at the time. However it was only the fact she was deeply involved with Ono at the time of Ranma's "resurrection" that prevented her from being as bold as Nabiki.

Now her younger sisters had given her two nieces and a nephew, she felt left behind and envious that she hadn't started a family herself. With Ranma there, she had seen this as her opportunity.

Ranma hadn't heard a thing, though he caught that Kasumi wanted to have kids, and she wanted it to be his. He had compared the nude bodies of the Tendo sisters and came to the conclusion Kasumi had the best of the three, though clearly Akane hadn't developed into present body.

Their first sexual encounter lasted for three hours, but afterwards Ranma was surprised Kasumi wasn't pregnant, unlike Nabiki, who just happened to be at the right time in her cycle. They continued to have frequent encounters until Kasumi left for New Macross. What Ranma hadn't known, Kasumi had greatly enjoyed having sex and would often use some form of contraception for their encounters.

"How are twins?" asked Akane.

Ranma was startled by the seemingly change in direction of the conversation that she stumbled for words. "Um. Well, um, Sakura seems very smart like her parents. And talking up a storm. It's very understandable for a fifteen month old. Much different from Akito, who tends to mispronounce words.

"Akito's very active. Will be a very worthy heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. Nabiki's bringing them with her next week."

"Oh, that's right," remembered Akane. "She's supposed to do a photo shoot for the movie Alex just finished. I still can't believe she decided to be a photographer."

Just then, Nova came back in, wanting to hear her aunt sing. Never one to get upset about being interrupted by young children, Ranma gave her what she wanted, thanks to the piano Alex's parents had given them weeks before they died with along much of the world. She sang until Nova fell asleep on the couch. By that time it was getting late, so she headed back hotel in Tokyo.

* * *

Rick knocked on the steel door of the bridge. Lisa had informed him that Admiral Gloval had requested to see him just as his wheels touched the ground. He had never been order to the bridge before, never ordered to see the admiral. It was always Ranma. No doubt this had something to do with his stop in Granite City.

_Thinking of Granite City, I need to make sure the house is clean before Minmei arrives_, he thought.

"Come in," said Gloval, and immediately the door opened.

* * *

Author note:

This was revised to remove the hentai from the story, as I have grown past that stage.


	24. Conflict Anew revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold. References from Tenchi Muyo belong to Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.

Chapter 24: Conflict Anew

* * *

Admiral Gloval wasn't the only one concerned with the happenings on Earth. Many galaxies away, in another quadrant, a group of four ships passed through space on their way to their home planet. However these weren't ordinary ships passing through space. These belonged to a group that called themselves the Robotech Masters. It was a quite poignant name since they reaped the benefits of the technology developed by the father of Robotechnology, Zor.

Among the four was the flagship that actually carried the three Robotech Masters. They were on their way back from quelling an upraising in one of their conquered systems. It wasn't something they normally did, as they were the lords of the Zentraedi. But since the Zentraedi were dealing with the recovery of Zor's battle fortress, that had been left to their army of Bioroids.

However there hadn't been that much communication from their Zentraedi minions. "Is there still no word from Commander Dolza on the progress of the capture of the Protoculture Matrix?" asked one of the Masters to one of their underlings. Visually, it was almost impossible to distinguish the three Robotech Master. They looked as if they were identical triplets. They were old (though none knew their actual age) and wore the same long gray robe. The only thing that distinguished the three was color of their cowls, which was designed to resemble the petals of a flower.

One of their underlings stood forth. It looked to be in full battle armor or possibly be a robot. "There has been nothing, milord. Though scanners have picked up a signal that resembles a large discharge of Protoculture in the Fourth Quadrant."

This was a significant announcement as it provided them with the location of Zor's battle fortress. It could be considered troublesome that this was how they found out since their Zentraedi warriors had been looking for it for many years.

"This could mean one of two things," stated the Master with the red cowl. "Either the Zentraedi have found the matrix and liberated it from the battle fortress or Zor's disciples have learned its secrets and defeated the Zentraedi."

There should have been a big uproar at the mere suggestion of the elimination of an entire fighting force. However the Robotech Masters, and the society they created, were devoid of emotions. That's not to say the suggestion went over well with the other two.

"Any idea of Dolza's forces being destroyed is highly unlikely," spoke the Master with the green cowl. "The destruction of that number of ships would have registered well before now. Besides it would be quite implausible for 4 million ships to be destroyed at once."

"That is not necessarily true," replied the red cowl Master. "That's if Zor's disciples have learned about the barrier system and how to invert. If used inside Dolza's flagship, it is possible for them to destroy the Zentraedi fleet."

The blue cowl Master was quick to rebut such an occurrence. "For that to happen, they would have to know as much about Protoculture and Robotechnology as ourselves."

That seemed so preposterous that the Masters thought it impossible.

* * *

Life was rather busy at the Monument City Airport. At the present, three of five gates were boarding passengers going to New York, London, and Tokyo. Of those flights, only the Tokyo flight seemed to have trouble boarding.

To anyone watching, they looked like a mother trying to persuade her daughter into getting on the plane. This was almost true; except for the fact the red-haired mother was the father of the red-haired girl. Ranma Saotome had only recently returned, having been recalled by Admiral Gloval due to the idiotic nature of her second-in-command, who had felt the need to see his wife while on duty. She was dropping Nabiki and their twins off, as they were headed to Tokyo. This would be the first time their children were going to Japan, where they would stay with their Auntie Akane and visit remaining family members while Nabiki did a photo shoot.

Sakura was very much "daddy's little girl," and being such, she didn't want to leave his/hers side now that Ranma was back. "I don wanna go," spoke softly by a sobbing Sakura.

Seeing tears running down her daughter's tugged at Ranma's heart. Things like this seemed more effective when she was a female.

"But what about your Auntie Sasami? She'll be rather sad if you don't come and visit." It was the best ploy that Ranma could come up with. Akane wasn't exactly on top of Sakura's list of people to see. Though if that was got Sakura on the plane, she was going to have to call her great-grandfather to make sure Aunt Sasami was back on Earth.

"Ryo-Ohki, too?" With a nod from her father, Sakura quickly stopped her crying and was set to board the plane with an "Okay!"

Ranma placed her backpack of toys on her shoulder and turned her loose on Nabiki. "She's all yours."

Nabiki looked at Ranma, quite annoyed. "You know, if you keep that up, you're going to turn her into another Akane." She was the best person to make such an observation.

"Akito's the same way."

Nabiki would refute Ranma's claim, saying that it had to do with her just returning from Japan. With that she wrangled the kids towards the gate, and with a promise to call once they landed in Tokyo, she gave Ranma a kiss and started down the gateway.

* * *

It was typical morning for the young couple in the house of the Hunters. At least for the two weeks that Minmei Hasegawa-Hunter had suspended her tour and Rick Hunter had been "placed on leave." This meant the couple was snuggling in bed, as naked as the day they were born without any thoughts of covering up. The room reeked of passion from yet another night of rigorous sexual activity. It would be quite surprising if they did not increase their family size with how often sex was part of their daily itinerary.

That's not to say that sex was all they did for these two weeks. They did find time to get away from Macross, via Minmei's fanliner. They've beached on the sands of California, skied the slopes of Hokkaido, and parties down on the Riviera. Though everywhere they went, they made sure that Minmei was not recognized, as she wanted to be considered a normal person.

Rick was first to wake. He relished the feeling on his wife's skin next to his. Something he missed those months when she was on tour in Europe. However it was his turn to cook breakfast. He threw on a robe and made his way to the kitchen.

Minmei didn't wake until the smell of food permeated throughout the house, though she had shivered due to the lost of her husband's body heat. She woke with the smile as she loved the Western meals her husband cooked. Underneath that smile, though, was a grimace of pain down in her lower region. She loved the passion in their lovemaking sessions, but sometimes Rick's stamina was too much for her.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," said Rick, carrying a tray of food in the room. Only he found that she was already awake.

"Morning, hon," replied Minmei, looking at her husband. "Did I ever tell you how handsome you look in that?"

'Every time," he responded, carrying the tray to the bed.

The tray was wedding gift from Minmei's adoptive family. It was lightweight and could elongate so that it could be placed over the two with ease. On it was breakfast food enough for two, scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash brown potatoes, toast and juice.

Minmei quickly picked some covers, remembering the time she dropped egg on her bare skin. Sure in the end, it turned out to be a very pleasurable experience, but the mark of the hot scrambled egg still showed on her thigh. Rick placed the tray over Minmei's lap and took his place next to her. Then he pulled an extension to the tray over him. He still marveled a how it was able to this, yet wondered how the family of a Shinto priest could have something seemingly so technologically advanced.

They ate in silence, no doubt building their strength for the shower sex that was sure to follow. They ate in silence since they had all day to talk since they hadn't plans for the day. Eventually it was Rick that started the conversation.

"Has everything all right, dear?"

"Everything's fine," she replied, thinking he was talking about the food.

"It's just that Kyle called while I was cooking and wanted to know if you planned on making it to your scheduled concert tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll make it," Minmei replied, unenthusiastically.

"Well he seems curious since he said you've been canceling all your concerts since your return. I like that you want to keep your husband company during his time of punishment, but I hope I'm not stifling your career."

Minmei took another forkful from her plate as she tried to avoid the statement. She really didn't care about her career at the moment. She rather enjoyed spending time with her husband, niece and nephew.

"You could never stifle my career, honey."

"Is there something wrong?" asked Rick with some concern.

Sighing, Minmei answered. "I'm growing tired of all this. I mean, I have the fame I wanted as a kid. I have the man who loves and supports me. Likewise with the family. You would think that I'd be happy with life. But I see the people at my concerts. People who have less than nothing in this new world. Yet when I look in their eyes, they seem more happy and more at peace with their lives.

"But I know when I return, Kyle's going to ask more from the people than they could possibly give."

"Wait. Doesn't he work for us?" Rick interrupted.

That was true, but Minmei had already promised Kyle they could ask for more money from the promoters, and if there was one thing she had learned from Ranma was to always keep your promises. Although she was tired of being known as the voice that won the war.

"Then why don't you stop." Rick thought it an excellent idea.

But Minmei didn't think of it like that. "Quit!? What would I do? I've only wanted to sing and make people since I was little. Besides Ranma would never let me do that."

Rick came back with, "I'm not asking you to quit. Just stop touring. You know, just stay home and create the music you wish for all to hear."

* * *

On the outskirts of Macross, unrest was brewing. It was on the outskirts where the factories were located. It was in these factories that produced the materials, gathered from the downed wreckage, to rebuild this region. At a steel mill, a full size Zentraedi was finally tired of the menial labor. He wasn't meant to carry beams of steel. He was a soldier, and it had been the longest time since he had been in one.

"I have had it! I quit!" he screamed out. To emphasis his discord, he kicked a couple of loaded freighter trucks.

As if seeing what was the ruckus, a couple of other full size Zentraedi appeared.

"I was not made to work like this," the disgruntled Zentraedi continued and started to walk in to the wasteland.

But he was stopped by those who considered him a friend.

"You cannot go."

"What about all of the things we have experienced?"

"What about Minmei?"

However the disgruntled Zentraedi paid them no mind as he continued into the wasteland.

It was restless Zentraedi like him that had Admiral Gloval recall Commander Saotome.

* * *

Admiral Henry Gloval, Commanders Lisa Hayes and Ranma Saotome, and Lieutenant Commander Claudia Grant headed to a meeting with Minister Exedore and Professor Lazlo Zand, one of the few Lang disciples to make it through the war while stranded on Earth. The three younger officers hadn't a clue as to the meaning of the meeting, but Admiral Gloval emphasized it was expected of them to attend.

Ranma was still in her female form, thus was forced to wear the regulated skirt. Though she much preferred to wear slacks, she had long since stopped complaining about the archaic regulation regarding the female uniform.

For Lisa, seeing Ranma as a female was different. She did like Ranma's female form, especially for the fact she was at least a head taller. She enjoyed making fun of the fact that Ranma lost over a half a foot with the change.

The building they entered was the secondary Robotechnology laboratory. As soon as they entered, any thoughts of work momentarily stopped in the male-dominated office. It wasn't often that three outstanding looking women passed through. It didn't matter that the three were off limits because of their ranks, such was the male mentality. That mentality had often filled hospital beds when Ranma was involved. Fortunately they quickly entered the conference room where Exedore, Zand, and a staffer assigned to Exedore waited.

Exedore started the meeting. "Now if you could have a seat, we'll start the meeting."

When the meeting started, it seemed like a biology lesson to Ranma, so she became bored. The slide presentation showed the difference in human and Zentraedi physiology. It lasted over an hour. In the end, Exedore stated, "It is our conclusion, based on the gathered information, that somewhere during our evolutionary history, humans and Zentraedi had a common ancestor."

Ranma was not impressed by the news. It didn't take a scientific study to tell her that. A simple biological process was all she needed. Her visual proof came from the presence of Dana Komillia Sterling, the daughter of the only known union between humans and Zentraedi.

While Claudia and Lisa gasped at this information, Gloval voiced, "This news is quite fascinating." Of course he was still thinking along the lines of improving relations between the two races. With the recent unrest, relations have started to deteriorate, helped by the attacks from full-sized Zentraedi on the remaining human populace.

"And along those lines, we've also found that we possess some of the same traits," Exedore continued. "This includes a penchant on the part of both our races love of warfare."

That registered a strong reaction from Lisa and Claudia, with Lisa being more adamant of the two. "I would have to disagree. Humans don't because we like making war. They do it to protect those that they love from our enemies."

Ranma was surprised that from Lisa. "Oh, come off it, Lisa," she remarked.

"You can't possibly agree with that statement, Commander?" asked Lisa.

"And this is coming from someone whose family has been in the military as far back as the War of the Roses. War has littered history. Being Japanese, our history has been laced with warfare. Remember, we picked a fight with your home country because the U.S. wouldn't let us have to riches our region of Asia possessed.

"I come from the samurai class, whose sole purpose in life was to prepare for the next war. Remember, I lost an uncle because of war with the Zentraedi. Sure, I joined the RDF to protect my family, but I've also been learning the art of combat since I've been able to walk."

Gloval, by clearing his throat, ended all talks. "Nonetheless, if these facts are true, it's fascinating. It makes one wonder where our two races are headed."

* * *

"Say, why don't we go out for dinner?" suggested Rick.

Minmei gave him a suspicious look. The couple was in their car, on their way home. It was yet another quiet day for the two, as Rick flew the fanliner out to the Hawaiian Islands.

"This is a first," stated Minmei. She knew that Rick had been trying to keep her out of the public eye of Macross citizens while on this vacation. "Or you're saying that you're tired of my cooking. Because if it is, remember, after tonight, you might not be getting it for quite awhile."

"No. That's not it. Besides, it's my night to cook."

There was more that Rick wanted to let on, such as the entertainment press's believing of a rift in Minmei and Kyle's romantic relationship. The idea of Minmei and Kyle being in a relationship still angered him, remembering the kiss he witnessed. But it was mostly his fault their marriage had been kept secret for two years.

The thought had crossed Minmei's mind during the flight back. "It's all right. How about going to the White Dragon? I haven't seen my aunt, uncle and Jason in forever."

Rick made a right turn and headed for the White Dragon. They were soon pulling into the parking lot behind the restaurant. They walked into the White Dragon to find it as busy as usual. They immediately wondered if they should have called and made a reservation.

They were greeted by Lena as they walked in the door. "Welcome to the -" she started saying when she realized who it was. "Oh, Minmei! We were wondering when you would show up."

She took Minmei into her arms before Minmei had a chance to say a thing. Lena called into the kitchen and informed her husband that Minmei was there. Within a minute, Max came out of the kitchen and gave her a hug. During this, Rick could immediately see patrons' cellphones out, no doubt videoing and informing friends of Minmei's unexpected arrival.

When Minmei was finally released from her uncle embraced, she saw many familiar faces within the restaurant, including Mayor Tommy Luan.

"Your mom told us you would be in town a week ago," stated Lena.

Minmei apologized for not stopping by sooner, but explained that she and Rick wanted to spend some time together. She went on to say that they wanted a nice quiet dinner. At that, Lena led them to the one open table. Unfortunately it would not provide them any privacy. This meant those fans not from Macross Island besieged her. Minmei had grown used to this since returning Earth. With the issuing of her albums to the remaining population of Earth, her popularity was now worldwide, and fans wanted her autograph whenever they could get it. As for Rick, he had to field the inevitable questions of who he was.

Once their orders arrived, they were given some privacy.

"So do you think you're ready to return to the road?"

Minmei took a biteful before answering the question. "Yeah, I think it's time."

"Do you think your voice is up to it? I mean, I don't think I've heard you sing a note the entire time you've been home."

Instead of answering the question, Minmei decided to have some fun at Rick's expense and flipped the script on him. "Answer this for me. Why is the second in command of the fighter wing currently being punished for dereliction of duty?"

Rick sputtered his response. He hadn't told her that he had been grounded. He conveniently told her that he finally had the opportunity to take leave. Minmei smiled as Rick continued to sputter in the two week lie he had placed himself in. She had known he had been placed under suspension. Ranma could never hide anything from her.

To get off the subject, Rick suggested that they head up to Minmei's old room. The red tint to Minmei's cheeks betrayed her immediate thoughts. "Rick, that's quite improper," she whispered. "Jason might be up there. And what of the people down here?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," remarked Rick. "I just wanted to get away from your endearing public to finish eating."

She had to agree that Rick had a good idea, thus the couple took their plates up to the living quarters, much to the displeasure of the other patrons. Once at the top of the stairs, they saw the six doors, knowing five of them led to bedrooms. Rick saw the door that led to the room he shared with Ranma before it became Nabiki's. Across if it was Minmei's old room, which still had the bunny nameplate.

It was an instant blast from the past for Minmei when they walked through the door. It was just how she had left it when fame forced her to move into the penthouse. They decided to eat on her desk.

As they ate, they talked about the memories that the room brought. They were helped along by the one of the high corners above Minmei's bed. It was never reconstructed completely. The wood still showed, providing them a reminder of the day they met. It was here that Rick first learned of contest that Minmei had entered while on Earth.

"Say, hon, whatever happened to that medal I gave you?" asked Rick, remembering the night of Minmei's Sweet Sixteen.

Minmei instantly remembered about it, though she hadn't thought about the medal in quite some time. She remembered that night, as it was quite possibly the first time she thought of Rick as more than a friend. However she couldn't recall ever seeing it after she moved into the penthouse.

Then she had a realization that it might still be there. She walked over to the place where she had kept all the things that had been precious to the Minmei of that age, the top drawer of her dresser. And lo and behold, the case that held the medal was still there with the medal inside. She remembered what she was doing before she received it. She had been on the phone with Ranma, who was telling that she shouldn't have been so hard on Rick for forgetting to pick up a present for her. And as always, Minmei had listened to him, telling herself that maybe she had been a little hard on Rick.

"So are you really ready?" Rick asked again.

"Yes. But I think this is the last time."

* * *

Elsewhere, trouble was brewing anew. Unseen and unknown by observers from Breetai's remaining fleet and various RDF patrols, Khyron's flagship sat buried under mounds of snow. Khyron had withdrawn from the battlefield (running with his tail between his legs) with hopes of returning victorious, except a couple of things happened. Much of his forces were caught in the explosion of Dolza's ship and he hadn't the fuel to leave this planetary system. Thus he was forced to land on the Earth.

He sat and waited. He had reason to believe his chances of striking back at the Micronians and Breetai were great. He wasn't alone in his wait, as he was joined by Azonia, having rescued her life pod during his ship descended to Earth. Initially she had felt no hatred towards the Micronians, but the longer she stayed with Khyron, he reiterated about how they were able to turn her best warrior against her own kind. After two years of listening to his rants, her anger grew to rival Khyron's hatred. Also in those two years, she had grown to admire him and his desire.

Together, with his crew, they waited. Occasionally they would send out spies to monitor the situation. From all of the new information coming in through this network, it appeared their wait would so be over.

"M'lord, our spies are reporting unrest amongst our brethren," said Grel, after he walked onto the bridge.

It started as silent chuckle, but soon the room was filled with full blown maniacal laughter. Grel had just provided Khyron with the best news he had ever heard.

"It appears they've finally made it through their delusion. I knew their love for that blasted Micronian wouldn't last forever," he bellowed.

"You possess pure genius for realizing this," commented Azonia in support.

Moving towards the center of the bridge, Khyron stated, "Now is the time that we strike." Then with a turn to Grel, he added, "Tell our people to bring those that want to help return the Zentraedi to glory."

* * *

Minmei woke up early for once. She had to get moving as there were things that she needed to do before Rick took her to the airport. In particular there was someone she needed to see. Showered and dressed, she left the house and made her way to the house of her mother. With the way New Macross had been planned, the housing districts were set up away from the thriving metropolis and military base. For the Hasegawa family, their three houses were only a couple of blocks away so it was a short walk for Minmei

As she walked, Minmei had the misfortune of running into the paper boy. Either was paying attention to what was in front of them, as the paper boy had just thrown another paper, while Minmei was busy taking in the sights and sounds of the morning in Macross, since she never seen Macross at this time of day.

The boy popped up and apologized, "I'm sorry, ma'am." Then he noticed who it was. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Minmei."

But Minmei paid him no mind, having picked herself off the ground and continued on her way. The boy thought it was quite a rude thing for her. But way she looked spaced out as she continued to walk made him think that she was not all there at the moment.

Minmei arrived at her mother's house, brushing off her skirt before ringing the doorbell.

"Kasumi, what are you doing here!?"

It appeared that her family had neglected to tell her some things. Thankfully, Kasumi was gracious enough to explain the situation to her as she let her in. Minmei thought it was awfully nice of her brother to do those things for Kasumi because she'd liked Kasumi the most out of the three sisters.

"So is my mom home?" Minmei asked.

"Yes. She's in the shower right now. I think she might be tired from grading papers and spending time with her grandchildren last night."

Minmei wondered why Kasumi would say that. It only seemed natural for a grandmother to spend time with the grandchildren.

"They're headed over to Japan with Nabiki," replied Kasumi, answering Minmei's unspoken question.

"Who was at the door, Kasumi?" asked Nodoka, stopping at the entryway that led to the bed and bath rooms, wearing a bathrobe. "Good morning, Minmei. You're up rather early?"

* * *

At the same time Minmei at Nodoka house, Ranma was running through the streets as part of his normal workout. However he was also running with purpose, as he wanted to talk with his wayward pilot to see if he'd learned his lesson. He stood at the door, excessively ringing the doorbell, for what seemed like an eternity before Rick finally answered the door, wearing a robe, a very groggy face, and messing hair. Everything about him spelled that he had just woke up.

"Is there some damn reason you're ringing my doorbell like a little kid?" asked Rick, not even acknowledging Ranma's presence.

"It's time for our morning run," replied Ranma.

"What is this 'our'? I've been suspended, if you haven't forgotten."

"Well, you're back on flying status as of now," responded Ranma. "Now get dress so we can be off!"

Rick grumbled as he closed the door. When he came through the door, he asked, "You didn't see Minmei on your way over?"

With Ranma's reply of no, Rick begrudgingly joined him in Ranma's morning run. It was more like a jog for Ranma. However Rick had to almost sprint in order to keep up with him. Even though they have been doing this off and on for close to two years, Rick still had problems keeping up with Ranma. They ran in silence for a couple of blocks before Ranma started filling Rick in on the things he missed.

"So we had this meeting Exedore and Zand the other day. Turns out that somewhere in the past, we and the Zentraedi had a common ancestor."

"Funny," Rick chuckled, "but I don't remember reading the part where Lucy built spaceships and flew into space."

"Anyways, because of that, Exedore claimed that this is the reason why there are some similar traits between human and Zentraedi. Namely that the both of us like to make war."

Rick immediately objected. "I don't think that's true. We fight to protect, not because we like it."

"You're just as stupid as Lisa," commented Ranma. Then he went on to give Rick the same rant from the day before.

"Did I ever tell you that you're too smart for your own good?"

* * *

Minmei, Nodoka, and Kasumi were out and about on the streets of Macross. Since Nodoka rarely saw her daughter in the mornings, she insisted they go out for breakfast. While at the restaurant, Minmei talked about how the rest of the world looked from her tour. Then she had to listen to her mother tell her how disappointed she was at her for not trying to keep up with her studies.

When Minmei started talking about ordinary everyday things, Nodoka began to wonder if there was greater reason behind her visit. It wasn't that she wanted to be suspicious, but the things Minmei wanted to talk about were rather reminiscent of the times she had something important to tell her own mother, like when she became pregnant with Ranma or when she had to tell her mother she now had a granddaughter and grandson wrapped in one. It amazed her how things from her past came back at her and wondered if her mother had the same thoughts.

"Minmei, it's nice to hear that Rick took you Hawaii, but what did you really want to tell me," said Nodoka, when she finally got tired of Minmei beating around the bush. "You and Rick aren't having problems, are you?"

Before Minmei could answer, the conversation was interrupted by three of Minmei's biggest fans. These three fans could have been considered the most important people in recent history. If it wasn't for Rico, Konda, and Bron, there would not be life as there was this day.

"We can't believe that you were back in town. Didn't you just have concert in Metropolis?" said Rico. Rico had become an example of how prolonged micronization could change the Zentraedi physiology, as he now needed to wear glasses.

"Well, I'm took some time off from touring," Minmei explained.

"Can I get an autograph?" asked Bron, holding out a piece of cloth.

"You idiot! You can't use that. It belongs to a customer," stated Konda.

As they had no viable skills for the "human" work force, the three former spies had taken to doing odd jobs. Currently they were working for the sole dry cleaners in Macross.

"Awe, don't worry about it. I'll just buy it from them."

With that thought, the other two decided to do the same thing and asked Minmei for an autograph. Minmei didn't want to cause trouble for them, so she used some napkins for her signature.

Minmei said hurriedly, "Thank you for your support."

The Zentraedi didn't hear her as they went about their way. They were happy for the opportunity to talk to one of their reasons for living.

It wasn't long before Nodoka reminded Minmei that there was a question left unanswered. "Well are there or are there not?"

"No. Not really. It's just that I'm not sure I want to do this anymore," Minmei announced. "I have missed Rick more than I thought I would while on tour. I never expected it after seeing those stars on TV when I was growing up. And each time I return from a tour, I feel that I'm not fulfilling my duties as a wife."

Nodoka had often wondered the same thing every time Genma took Ranma away for a training trip. "What do you mean?"

Minmei looked slightly embarrassed by what she was about to say. Before she spoke, she looked around to make sure no one else could hear. "Well, Rick has an insatiable sexual appetite that I don't think I can satisfy. For instance, the second day that I was back, we spent the day doing nothing but it."

Kasumi interjected, "For a couple that was separated, it seems nature for the two of you to make love for the entire night."

Minmei shook her head. It was clear that Kasumi misinterpret what she said. So she went in depth. "No, I mean the entire day. From the time I was woken by Rick's tongue," Minmei gestured to indicate where, "until some time after midnight. I can't remember if we even ate."

Minmei started to recollect every act they performed. Nodoka's and Kasumi's mouths were agape. Both were in disbelief that people could have such endurance.

"I hadn't felt that painful the next day since our honeymoon," she finished.

It was a while before either of the two older women could talk. Though they were able to resume walking. Finally Kasumi broke the silence.

"Having you ever thought of a concubine?"

Minmei was shocked that Kasumi suggested that she allow her husband to cheat.

"I mean, that's why father was never truly upset that Ranma had Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kondachi actively pursue his affection," Kasumi went on to explain. "He expected Ranma to marry Akane and keep the others as concubines. He told me this after the people from the government told us about Ranma's death."

"That's insane!" responded Minmei.

The same wouldn't be said by Nodoka. She had those same thoughts for when Ranma finally decided to settle down. It was the reason she wasn't pressing him to marry either Nabiki or Kasumi even though he was the father of their kids. She wanted him to find love that would equal that he had for Akane.

"Maybe you should give it a thought," stated Nodoka.

"Mother! You can't be agreeing. You want me to allow Rick to cheat on me."

"It's not cheating if you know about it and approve of it. How about that Kim girl he was seeing?" suggested Nodoka.

Minmei looked outraged that her mother even had a suggestion. And Kim Young of all people.

"She's still single. And gossip has it, she still pines for Rick."

* * *

"For crying out loud! How much longer are we gonna go?" questioned Rick.

It had only been twenty minutes, and Rick was slightly lagging behind. This convinced Ranma that he had not been staying fit while he had been away. In actuality, they were finished with their run. Ranma explained they were headed to the office.

"If we're finished, why the hell do we have to run to the base? 'Snot like we're gonna miss anything."

"That's not the point," replied Ranma.

Rick just stopped running, and when Ranma noticed that he was no longer with him, he followed suit.

"The point is that as a pilot, we need to be in the best possible shape because of all the forces that are put on us. And you seem a little out of shape."

"I'm not out of shape," retorted Rick. "Just low on energy this morning, considering I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast because some jerk just had to ring the doorbell like a little kid."

Before Ranma could respond, someone bumped into him. He rattled off some snide remarks. The person turned out to be Lisa Hayes, who was coming out of the photo shop.

"I thought we were through meeting this way," he ended up saying.

Lisa looked different this morning since the last time Ranma saw her. He quickly surmised that it had something to do with her hair. As long as he had known her, she had long hair. Though she was able to hide its true length by styling it so that the bottom portions were rolled to look like breakfast rolls. But now it was cut to a medium length and styled into a long bob. With the new style, gone were the long bangs that hid her forehead. Consider he had seen her yesterday, Ranma wondered when did she have the time to get into the stylist. It kind of looked quite fetching on her.

Lisa laughed at that statement. "And I see you're with your partner in crime this morning," she commented.

Even with the remark, Rick showed her the respect that her rank deemed, forever remembering what Roy had once said to him. "Good morning, ma'am."

"What has you out this morning?" asked Ranma.

"I wanted to pick up some pictures before heading in," she answered. "I can obviously see why you two are out." It was easy to figure out considering Rick's hair was matted down from sweat.

"We're headed in, too. Why don't you join us?" suggested Ranma.

"I don't think I'm dressed for running," she said, commenting on the fact she was wearing a skirt.

Ranma took in this fact and stated they were done running. That said, Lisa decided she would join them, just as long as she didn't have to smell them.

Rick walked behind the two senior officers and watched with amusement. It almost seemed like he was watching one of those 80's teen movies with the many times that Lisa hesitated to say something to Ranma, and Ranma acted as if he was too cool to even notice. Although this wasn't something new. Rick realized that this was the game between the two. Whenever they were not in a workplace setting, they seemed to have trouble carrying conversations.

"Ranma, I would like you to have these." Lisa finally decided to speak to hand Ranma the envelope she had in her hand when she exited the photo shop

"What's this?" he asked, looking at the envelope.

Rick smacked his forehead at the stupidity of that comment. If Lisa thought the same, she didn't show it.

"It's just something I wanted to give you," answered Lisa.

The three continued walking, as Ranma looked at the envelope. It took Rick telling him to open it before he did so. Inside was a group of pictures featuring Lisa, from her youth, from her academy days, from the SDF-1, and after getting her new hairstyle.

"Umm, these are…nice," Ranma said, unsure what to think of the gesture. Though he was quite spooked by the picture of Lisa with the cat.

Lisa didn't comment on his uncertainty. But it eased her jealous mind after going through his photo album with Akito. There were tons of pictures of him with Nabiki and their twins.

Rick watched this and wondered what was it that drew women to Ranma even though he was clueless how to act around them.

* * *

A few blocks away from the three RDF officers, trouble was brewing in the form of two full-size Zentraedi. Disgruntled in much the same way as many of their brethren, they decided it was time to leave the city. But before that, they went about causing some damage.

And Mayor Tommy Luan just happened to have the misfortune of being caught in the center of their rampage. Quite the recognizable figure, the mayor had just stepped through the door to his house when he was cornered by the by the two Zentraedi. As he stood there, quivering in his shoes, his wife was inside calling the authorities.

She was quite the contrast from her husband when it came to body type (much like the Lynns). When the Zentraedi noticed, they pulled her through the window. She screamed in surprise and terror by the capture.

The Zentraedi laughed as they daggled and tossed her about.

* * *

"What do you think this is for?" Ranma whispered to Rick.

"I don't know. Maybe she thinks you need a reminder of her for the next time you return to Japan," Rick threw out.

"Actually I've been thinking of sending you."

Rick was startled to hear this news. But before he could respond to that, the sound of flesh hitting flesh got their attention. The three immediately turned their heads to the sound and saw a full size Zentraedi come crashing down on the street far in front of them.

Instantly Ranma sprinted down three blocks to find out what was going on. There he found three full size Zentraedi; two were carrying sacks while the third was on the ground. There was also the mayor huddled to the side with his wife on the sidewalk.

"What's going on here, Mr. Mayor?" Ranma asked.

"Thank god you're here, Ranma!" Tommy Luan said, sounding quite terrified. He explained what was going on just as Rick and Lisa caught up with Ranma. What they heard was a simple retelling of what had already been reported by various victims. Plus the evidences of their rampage were visible along the street.

As Tommy Luan came to the end of his tell, the sound of walking metal resounded throughout the neighborhood. The cause of the sound made itself known with the appearance of a team of four Destroids from the RDF Ground Division. They came from the adjoining streets.

"Zentraedi, don't move and no one will be hurt," boomed a voice over the lead Destroid's speakers. The Destroids leveled their weapons on the three, daring the Zentraedi to move.

Ranma and Rick recognized the voice. "Hold up, Vince," they called out.

"Commanders Saotome and Hunter, I didn't see you there."

Ranma felt lucky that he knew who was leading this team. It was Captain Vince Grant, who just happened to be Claudia's little brother. He had followed Claudia into the RDF but had the misfortune to be left on Earth when the SDF-1 made its miscalculated jump to Pluto. Ranma ended up meeting him when Vince and his wife, a RDF doctor, were amongst the many reassigned to the SDF-1 when it was ordered off the planet.

"Let me talk to them and find out what's wrong," stated Ranma.

"There is nothing to talk about," said the Zentraedi with curly brown hair.

"That is unless you are allowing us to return to what we are," said another Zentraedi with straight black hair.

"Now you know that wouldn't be allowed," commented Rick.

"But isn't there something we can do instead?" asked Ranma.

"Can you allow us to be warriors again?"

"You know that is unlikely to happen," reiterated Rick.

"Well, if you cannot give us that, we are leaving."

With that two of the Zentraedi picked up their satchels and proceeded to walk out of town. The third pleaded for them to stay, trying to remind them of the things they had once loved about the Micronian society. Rick groaned at the knowledge that most of the disgruntled nature stemmed Zentraedi falling out of the seduction of his wife's voice.

* * *

"Damnit, where's Minmei!?" questioned Kyle.

He had finally talked to her earlier in the day and had her assurance that she would make it for tonight's concert. But now he stood just off stage of a barely empty venue, which meant there was no money to be made at this concert, causing some anger.

On top of that, there was the pestering of the concert promoter. In most eyes, it was understandable to be concerned. Minmei has cancelled two weeks' worth of concert, many at the last minute.

"Are you sure she's gonna make?" the promoter asked. "It's less than five minutes before curtain, and there's no sight of her."

Kyle turned on him, causing the promoter to jump as he thought Kyle was set to hit him. "Look, I said Minmei will be here, and she will. What you should be concerning yourself with is your turn out. How do you think Minmei's going to feel when she sees that there is nobody out there?"

There wasn't a chance for the promoter to reply as word was passed through the backstage that Minmei had finally arrived. Kyle stormed off to her dressing room and entered without thinking she might be undressed.

"It's nice to see that you decided to return to work!" Kyle barked. "Do you know how much money you've cost us?"

Minmei didn't look away from her mirror as she continued to apply her makeup. "I haven't cost me anything. I already told you that this is not about the money."

"Will you stop being a foolish little girl and realize that life needs money to fulfill dreams."

Minmei didn't acknowledge the statement as stood up and went behind the dressing curtain to change.

"And what about our dreams?" she asked, coming from behind the curtain. "Mine have come true. I have a mother who supports my love of singing and a husband who loves me deeply, even though I'm not there like a normal wife."

Minmei waited for Kyle to respond. When none came, she added, "I have fans out there waiting for me." And she walked out.

* * *

Ranma and Rick walked into Admiral Gloval's ready room still dressed in their flight suits. They had been in the simulators when they were unexpectedly called for an urgent meeting. It turned out that they weren't the only ones called to this meeting. Inside stood Claudia, Lisa, and the Sterlings. Exedore stood next to Gloval, having seemingly become his chief of staff.

"We are all here," stated Gloval. "Let's begin."

Exedore stepped forward as the room grew dark. Immediately a picture of something shaped like an octopus appeared on one of monitors. Though it was shaped like an octopus, it was clear it had something to do with the Zentraedi, as there was the organic green look that was typical with Zentraedi warships.

"What you see here is the last known Robotech factories," started Exedore. "Thanks to one of our remaining Cyclops units, we have finally located it."

This was supposed to be great news, but no one understood the significance. This included the other Zentraedi in the room. Exedore quickly spelled out that with the factory, they could start to rearm themselves.

"Why do we end to start rearming ourselves?" asked Rick.

"The Zentraedi didn't appear above Earth on accident," started Exedore. "We were sent here to locate the Protoculture Matrix by our masters, the Robotech Masters. And there is no doubt they have realized we've failed and are on their way to recover it themselves."

"But as we don't have this Matrix, we must start preparing our planet defenses," added Gloval.

The room turned silence as they took this in.

"So what does this mean for us here?" asked Ranma.

"It's nice of you to ask, Commander Saotome," said Gloval.


	25. Reveal revised

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold. References from Tenchi Muyo belong to Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.

Chapter 25: Reveal

* * *

"Are you okay?" was the first thing Rick said when his wife appeared on the vid-phone. Minmei looked like she was deathbed sick with her frazzled hair, her red eyes, her skin lacking its usual color, and her chapped lips. It was a Minmei he had never seen before.

"I'm just fine," replied Minmei. A month had passed since the last time she had been home. In the meantime, she talked to Rick on a daily basis, sometimes when he had just finished a patrol. "Are you sure you'll be gone a few days?"

Rick was slow to realize that his wife had changed the subject. He was still fixated on her appearance "Um, yeah, it should be like a few days. No more than two weeks. And when I return, we'll spend some time in Japan."

Rick was still getting use to the fact that he was being reassigned to do some R&D. Most of the pilots would be happy to receive such an assignment. However for Rick, he saw it as just another form of punishment. So he made a simple mistake because he hadn't seen his wife in a couple of months. There no need to ship him away from the action.

Minmei replied with a weak smile, saying that it would be nice. Since returning for space, she hadn't spent much time in the Tokyo area. Part of the reason stemmed from how things were left unresolved with her parents, who disapproved of her dreams of superstardom and had only allowed her to return to the SDF-1 because of Ranma, and how she was never able to say goodbye.

Rick looked at the phone's clock and noticed that launch time was quickly approaching. Thus he sped up the conversation and ended their conversation with a "see you in a few days."

No sooner had Minmei hung up the phone that she heard, "You're going to have to tell him, dear." The voice came from Nodoka.

"I know, mom," said Minmei. "But I don't want to further jeopardize his situation at this moment with the knowledge that he's going to be a father." Minmei rationalized this by believing that this mission would get her husband back into good graces. "If I were to tell him, he would ask out of this mission to spend all his time with me."

"Your brother would understand," replied Nodoka. She smiled on the inside because of the devotion to her husband. She remembered when she had that for Genma. Maybe if he had the same for her, she would have had the family she'd always wanted. "I'm sure he would not hold it against Rick when it comes to your child."

Before Minmei could answer, she rushed off to the bathroom, and Nodoka soon heard the sound of retching. She shook her head in pity, as Minmei's morning sickness was doing a number on her. It was the reason she found herself in New Atlanta, having received a call last night from Kyle. According to him, Minmei had a stomach virus and couldn't handle the vomiting; Kyle was clueless as to what to do. It took her taking Minmei to the hospital to find out her daughter was pregnant. She wasn't quite sure she liked being informed this manner.

Nodoka had been with Minmei for a few hours, and during that time Minmei had not been able to keep anything down. This was the fourth time that Minmei found herself running to the bathroom. Since this was the fourth time, she was going to have to make decision that was sure to not be liked. Before she could enter the bathroom, there was a knock on the door, which revealed Lynn Kyle, already dressed for his meeting with the concert promoter.

"Is Minmei ready?" Kyle asked, not even bothering to offer Nodoka a greeting.

"Ready for what?" inquired Nodoka.

As it was, Kyle had scheduled Minmei to do phone interviews promoting the night's concert with the radio stations in town. He could not have his talent taking abrupt breaks because of an upset stomach. He couldn't understand why her stomach ailment persisted.

Nodoka didn't give an immediate answer. She waited until Minmei, who looked painfully emaciated, entered the room. Then she literally dropped a bomb with her announcement. "I'm sorry, Kyle, but Minmei won't be doing any interviews today and for probably quite some time. I'm canceling the tour. Minmei is coming home with immediate."

The younger individuals were shocked to hear this.

"You can't be serious!" Kyle said with outrage. "I thought the doctors said it was nothing serious. That's why you're out here, to nurse Minmei back to health, not to cancel things."

"You will not take that tone with me, young man," replied Nodoka with a glare that sent a shiver down the young adults' spines. The power that Kyle thought he had suddenly vanished. "What the doctor said may have been right, but apparently the baby is not agreeing."

Hearing the word "baby" stunned Kyle. It was the first time the thought of baby entered his mind. "M-Maybe I heard you incorrectly. H-Having a baby right now would prove to be disastrous to her career. We'd be forced to tell the public about Minmei's marriage. It would seriously damage the image I've cultivated."

"And do tell me what is wrong with the world knowing Minmei's married? Do you think it's best that my daughter continues to live her life as a lie? Or is it that you like having the public believing you're your cousin's lover?"

Minmei shook her head and left the room. This wasn't the first time that this topic was brought up between her mother and Kyle. However Rick was usually there to defuse the situation, as he understood the reasons for keeping their marriage a secret from the public.

"Ms. Hasegawa, you've been told time after time why it can't be known that Minmei's married. Think about her fans. If they find out, there goes your daughter's career."

"So tell me how you're going to spin her pregnancy?"

Kyle didn't have a prepared answer to this. He hadn't had to worry about it. This would prove to be a dilemma in the near future. _Man, I wish Rick were here_, he thought. It was probably the first time that he'd wished that. He was still upset that his cousin chose someone besides him to marry, even if it felt inappropriate to marry one's cousin. If only he could figure out a way to separate those two. He had hoped the long world tour would have placed some type of strain on their marriage, but then she had to go and spend two weeks, while canceling some dates, with her husband.

"Okay, let's be rational. How about we cancel tonight, saying that she's not feeling well?" Kyle announced. "Her next concert's not for a couple of days. If she's feeling better, then we can continue. Then when she's gone fat, we'll explain it."

Kyle thought his plan to be manageable and was happy when Nodoka agreed to it. Though, it was a ruse. Nodoka had wanted to make him think she understood this was right thing to do in this situation. However her mind was made up to take Minmei home. Afterwards it would somehow leak that Minmei was married with child.

yyy

The RDF base was abuzz. For the first time in a long time, serious military action was set to take place, as the RDF geared up for another battle in space. Unfortunately it wasn't in assistance to the SDF-1, which would never be space-worthy in its current state. The impending space battle would involve two Veritech squadrons, the Skull Squadron of Commander Ranma Saotome and the Azure Squadron of Lieutenant Maximilian Sterling. Thirty-five Veritechs, retrofitted with the booster package, waited for launch, along with the two shuttles up on the launch platforms, carrying the equipment, Commanders Lisa Hayes and Claudia Grant and Minister Exedore, and support personnel.

Ranma sat in Skull One, feeling anxious about his return to space. Early on during the reconstruction of Earth, Ranma had realized a yearning for space, much in the same way he had yearned for the road the first few months of living with the Tendos. He had realized that space provided the optimal conditions for his art. With no concern about gravity, it provided for true mid-air combat. Then there was the fact it provided him the chance to view all the stars without hindrance.

Off to Ranma's right, Rick sat in his familiar white with red trim Veritech. He, too, was anxious to return to space. Though now he wasn't sure if he wanted to participate in this operation after seeing Minmei's appearance.

In her own right, Lisa could not wait for this mission to start. For two years, she regretted not being on the bridge of the SDF-1 in its time of need during the Battle of Dolza, as historians had come to call it. She hoped that this mission would eliminate that regret. This was also to be somewhat of a homecoming, as she, like many who lived on the SDF-1, thought of space as a second home.

Bodies scrambled to safe locations as two countdowns resumed.

Thirty-five Veritechs were lifted into launch position and thrust into space. Soon afterwards the engines of shuttles fired. The earth could be felt shaking for miles around, making the people in the area think that they were suffering an earthquake. Seven seconds after the launch of the Veritechs, the first of the two countdowns reached zero, and the shuttle carrying equipment left the pad. Five seconds later, the second shuttle launched.

It took about half a day for crafts from Earth to reach the orbit of the remainder of Breetai's fleet in high lunar orbit. It was another half hour for them to maneuver towards the biggest of the remaining Zentraedi ships. The shuttles made their way to the aft shuttle bay, the same bay where Ranma's Vermilion Squadron struggled with Breetai some years prior. The Veritechs landed in groups of five on a landing pad on the outer hull before descending into a separate hold.

The return of Exedore, though still micronized, was received with great military pageantry. It was something of a surprise for Claudia and Lisa since they stepped out of the shuttle behind him. Ranks of Zentraedi stood at attention, reminding Claudia of the California Redwoods she saw while on leave with Roy early in their relationship. At the end of the rank of soldiers stood Breetai. Lisa was grateful to meet him under different circumstances, as her body remembered the feel of his powerful grasp.

With a quick greeting, the "command" trio joined Breetai in a walk to the bridge. They were able to keep up with the giant of a man thanks to the moving walkways en installed prior to this mission.

The situation was different in the fighter bay. In an area that at one time held hundreds of Battlepods, thirty-five Veritechs sat with there support crews busily working on post flight checks. The two squadrons were grouped together.

Among the Azure Veritechs were the blue and red VF-1J's that belonged to the Sterlings. Max jumped from the cockpit of blue Veritech and made his way to the red Veritech, piloted by his wife. "All right, bring it down," he called up.

Miriya pushed a button, and a retro-fitted carriage dropped down from behind the laser turret. Once it stopped, Max opened it and brought out the sleeping, space-suited Dana.

"How is she?" asked Miriya. With it being the first time for their baby in space, Miriya showed a little concern. (Granted concern for a child was something Max was teaching her.)

Max presented to her a peacefully sleeping baby, bringing a smile to Miriya.

* * *

As part of the retrofit to Breetai's flagship, several human size consoles were added to Breetai's bridge. Situated just inside of Breetai's command bubble (the glass having finally been properly replaced), they were manned by Exedore, Claudia, and Lisa. For Claudia and Lisa, their consoles permitted them to perform many of the same jobs they had done on the SDF-1. Exedore's console permitted him to resume his job as Breetai's aide without the need of reverse micronization.

In the cavern below Breetai's command bubble, preparations were under way for the hyperspace jump that would begin this operation. Claudia studied the star maps while waiting for the coordinates. There were more systems and galaxies than she believed existed. She noticed that there were regions of the star maps marked off and color-coded, with glyphs in Zentraedi. Before she asked Exedore the meanings of the glyphs, the coordinates arrived from navigation.

As she plotted the coordinates for the hyperspace jumps, she noticed the course avoided a red color-coded region that bisected their position and that of the target.

"Course has been laid for hyperspace jump," announced Claudia.

"Prepare ship for spacefold," ordered Breetai.

During the downtime in the final preparations, Claudia asked, "What's this region we've avoiding?"

"That is the Juraian Empire," stated Breetai. "We are to avoid the Juraian Empire at all cost."

"How come?" asked Lisa without thinking.

There was a silence between the two English speaking Zentraedi. The Juraian Empire was not a topic that elder Zentraedi liked to talk about. Fortunately they received a brief reprieve when countdown for the first spacefold jump started.

"Jump in 10…" Claudia announced when the countdown appeared on her monitor. At the count of zero, the telltale signs of a fold operation became noticeable, as the visual spectrum gave the appearance of double vision to the humans.

Once comfortable into hyperspace, Exedore answered the question, since he had the historical knowledge of the Zentraedi.

"One of our prime directives is to never come into contact with Micronians. The reason for the directive stems from an entanglement with the Juraian Empire. There is a planet within their empire that was deemed essential to the production of Protoculture. Our masters sent us to conquer it. In the middle of our conquest, two Juraian ships arrived, looking as if they were made out of wood. For this reason, those in command didn't take them serious until we fired upon them. Their ships had a defensive shield that we had never seen before. Our laser fire seemingly bounced off it. Then they fired, and with just two ships, they destroyed our hundred ship fleet."

Lisa and Claudia were amazed to hear that. Of what they knew of the Zentraedi war record, they believed them to be unbeatable. Exedore went on to explain that forces on the ground called in for reinforcement after seeing the destruction. However by the time it arrived, the ground force was gone. The only thing left behind was the description of their vanquishers. They were micronized humans with the ability to wield light.

"We were fortunate to even receive that knowledge, as the reinforcement force came under attack."

"I thought that with the Grand Fleet, the Zentraedi could destroy a planet," stated Lisa.

"Well, it could, but we never got to that point. The Juraians sent a fleet after us and destroyed a third of our forces," explained Exedore.

The room was silent as Lisa and Claudia took in that knowledge. Finally Claudia said, "So that was the only other time the Zentraedi encountered 'Micronians'."

"No. Another time we were nearly destroyed after being seduced by music," answered Exedore.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ranma, Rick, and Max used the motorized walkway as they made their way from the Veritech hanger. They were the last to leave, as they supervised the installation of the training simulators. They were escorted by a Zentraedi soldier, placed at Ranma's disposal by Breetai, to show them their living quarters. To Ranma and Max, walking through the ship's corridors brought back memories of the last time they were there. For Rick, it was annoying to listen to them drone on and on about it, due to the fact that he was sidelined at the time.

"This kinda looks like the area where they were keeping us captive after the interrogation," commented Ranma.

"Yeah, it does," agreed Max. "Boy was I surprised to find you and the commander kissing when I opened that door."

"Not as surprised as I was when Lisa and Ben suggested it."

They all could remember how volatile the relationship between Ranma and Lisa had been at that time. For Max and Rick, it amazed them how different their relationship was now. However it was grating for the two married men that Ranma seemingly did not pick up the signals when it came to Lisa's feelings for him. But on the other hand, how could they complain when Ranma also had other women at his beck and call?

"You know, I'm glad that we're here now under different circumstance," said Ranma.

"Yeah, I never want to fight Breetai again," remarked Max.

"I could've taken Breetai if Lisa hadn't there," commented Ranma. That brought an unnoticeable glare from their escort. His two companions had nothing to say. They had witnessed Ranma do things in the Veritech that didn't seem possible.

Soon, they were in the corridor containing their living quarters. As they left their escort behind, Max said, "Say, Miriya and I are cooking a dinner tonight. You guys are welcome to come."

"Sure, I'll be there," stated Rick.

"Sorry, I have other things I have to do. So I'm going to have to pass," replied Ranma. "How about everyone stopped by my room tomorrow?"

* * *

"Too bad Ranma couldn't join us," said Lisa. She and Claudia had accepted Miriya offer for dinner. Now it was after dinner, everyone was sitting having drinks while Max washed the dishes.

"Well he said he had some things to do," commented Rick.

* * *

"I can't believe that I have make contact with the fleet out here," grumbled Ranma, dressed in his royal, Juraian robes in front of transmitting device. "This should be a job for Grandpa. Or at least something I could have done before leaving Earth."

* * *

"So how are things going between you and Commander Saotome?" asked Miriya, a sleeping Dana in her arms.

Being that she had only a Micronian for a little over three years, Miriya was still getting use to making conversation. However Lisa and Ranma's relationship was an easy topic of conversation. Where it had once been a thing known by Claudia, it was well known to most of the senior officers that Lisa was truly, madly in love with Ranma. And except for Claudia, it was a home-made soap opera.

"Same as always," Lisa replied with a sigh. "I think all I am is a convenient babysitter when something comes up. I'm not complaining about those two adorable kids, but I'm starting to feel left out."

"Maybe being on this ship might spark things. I hear it changed things between you two once before," commented Max, taking Dana from her mother's arms. No one bothered to notice Lisa blushing. "We are going to his room tomorrow to party. Maybe you should drop some hints."

That last statement brought some snickers from Claudia and Rick. They knew dropping hints would be useless as Ranma wasn't the brightest when it came to things like that. He may be a genius, but not in the area of love.

* * *

For much of the human crew, their initial thoughts of traveling through hyperspace were of it being an instantaneous thing. However they found out that was not the case. Twenty-four hours had passed, and they were just half way to their target. For the pilots, the day was spent in the simulators, while their support crews kept the Veritechs in tip-top condition. Outside of that, for the rest of the time, some of the junior members of the task force socialized with the Zentraedi.

As for the senior member…

"_All together now...  
All together now...  
All together now..._

_All together now."_

Ranma's room was slightly smaller than the Sterlings, but their room was specially constructed to take in account their daughter. However it was similar to the other senior members' rooms, with a couple of couches, a table, and a kitchenette. It also had something that made the room different from all the others, a karaoke machine. They wondered why Ranma had a karaoke machine out here. Yet no one risked to ask as a fun time was being had by all.

Currently, Max was having a turn.

"…_The world has turned and left me here  
Just where I was before you appeared  
And in your place, an empty space  
Has filled the void behind my face…_

"…_Do you believe what I sing now?  
Do you believe what I sing now?  
Do you believe?"_

Max placed the microphone down to applauses from his friends. They were all pleasantly surprised at how well he could sing. The one who loved the most was little Dana, who showed as much enthusiasm as a toddler could for her father.

"And now we go to monitor for the total," said Rick in his best announcer voice. Rick gestured to the monitor, and everyone turned their head and followed. They watched as numbers scrolled and flashed until it stopped on the score of 87. It was a pretty good score, but it was short of Ranma's score of 95. Nonetheless everyone applauded.

"Now last up Commander, surely soon-to-be Captain, Lisa Hayes."

Lisa walked up to the microphone very hesitantly. She was a competent commander, but she had one of the failings of most humans. She was afraid to sing in front of people. If it wasn't for the fact this entire thing was started by Ranma, Lisa would have found an excuse to get out of it. Now all she needed to do was find something appropriate to sing.

While Lisa was searched the karaoke catalog, Claudia finally asked the question everyone's been wanting to ask. "Whatever gave you the idea to do something like this?"

"A friend of my cousin told me karaoke is the best way to pass time while traveling in space," Ranma answered honestly. Fortunately no one questioned why said friend would know this.

"Well you have a smart cousin, Commander Saotome," replied Miriya. Ranma reminded her to call him Ranma when off duty, considering she had more years of combat experience, even though she had the rank of lieutenant.

During this Lisa called Claudia over to the karaoke machine for some help. "What do you need?" Claudia asked when joined Lisa.

"I don't know what to sing."

With her vast musical knowledge, a song instantly popped into Claudia's head. She just hoped that it was included in the catalog. Her hopes were rewarded.

"Try this one," Claudia said. "Ranma might even appreciate it since he loves classic rock from England."

"How do you know that?"

"Just sing the song, girl. You might be surprised!"

Lisa looked over the lyrics as Claudia returned to her place. Trusting Claudia's judgment, she typed in the code for the song and faced the crowd with the microphone in hand. That was the cue to everyone that Lisa was ready.

Then she started:

"_Can…_

_(Anybody…_

_Find me…_

_Somebody to…_

_Love?)…_

"…_(Find me somebody to love)  
Ooh  
(Find me somebody to love)  
Find me somebody, somebody (find me somebody to love) somebody, somebody to love  
(Find me somebody to love)  
Find me, find me, find me, find me, find me  
Ooh - somebody to love  
(Find me somebody to love)  
Ooh  
(Find me somebody to love)  
Find me, find me, find me somebody to love  
(Find me somebody to love)  
Anybody, anywhere, anybody find me somebody to love love love!  
Wooo somebody find me, find me love."_

Except for Dana, a silence persisted throughout the room. For Lisa, it proved that she was not meant for singing. In actuality, the crowd was shocked that she had such a singing voice. Ranma broke the silence as he stood and applauded, noticing Lisa's score was higher than his. But he wasn't applauding that, but applauded the song and the performance. He never thought Lisa would know the song. Frankly, it was probably a performance that would make Freddie Mercury proud.

The other soon joined in. Rick, Max, and Miriya also looked at Claudia. They realized the hint Claudia had helped Lisa drop a hint on Ranma.

Lisa took the applause as she returned to her seat. Her face was red with embarrassment.

"I guess that makes Lisa the winner," announced Rick. "So Mister Saotome, what does she get as a prize?"

Ranma had to think about it. Setting up the karaoke machine to provide a score was his idea. After a brief thought, Ranma figured there was a prize he could give her. He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. If Lisa could have turned any more red, she would have tried. It was the first time he'd initiated such action.

"That was the prize?" questioned Rick. "You mean any of us would have beaten you, you would have given us a kiss."

"Not really. Besides it's not like I was worried about you. I already now you can't sing. Minmei told me so."

Everybody could not help but to laugh at that.

"Speaking Minmei, are you ever going to record with her again?" asked Claudia.

"No, I don't think I could do that again," Ranma replied. "Besides that was a one time thing to help her start off."

Rick and Max looked at Claudia, wondering what she was talking about and completely missing Ranma's reply. At no time could they remember a song that Ranma and Minmei could have recorded together. They've heard every song that Minmei's released, and there has not been a duet with a male voice. Now Rick has seen occasions when Ranma and Minmei would sing together, when Ranma thought no one was pay attention. He just could not imagine Ranma in a recording studio.

"I think that would be great," commented Lisa. "You know that's main thing I remember about our escape from Zentraedi captivity. _Linger_ was playing when we first received a transmission from the SDF-1."

A gasp of surprise escaped Rick and Max mouth. "That's was you!" they said simultaneously.

"Haven't you ever noticed how that song is never on Minmei's set list even though it is the most requested, most played song in her catalog?" asked Claudia as if she was stating the obvious.

"Like I said, it was a one time thing," continued Ranma. "It's not like Minmei has the time to record to begin with. She has yet to record since return, especially with Kyle constantly having her on tour. When does she have time to record?"

"Aw, that's a piss poor excuse!" remarked Rick. "If you say the word, I'm sure she would end her touring immediately for the chance to sing with her brother. You have more influence over her than anyone on Earth. I should know. I'm her husband."

Any further discussions were ended by the announcement, "Commanders Grant, Hayes, and Saotome, please report to the bridge. Commanders Grant, Hayes, and Saotome, please report to the bridge."

"I guess we best call it a night," said Max, "especially since it's also time to put Dana in bed."

With the party now over, the room was quickly vacated. Claudia, Lisa, and Ranma rode the walkway in silence. A silence broken by Ranma. "I wonder what this is about?"

"Clearly it's something urgent, or they wouldn't have requested our presence," remarked Lisa.

When they entered the bridge minutes later, it became obvious why they were called.

"What is that?" asked Lisa with astonishment. They were looking at the debris field of a destroyed Zentraedi ship.

"That is what happens when someone crosses the wrong side of a Juraian fleet," answered Breetai.

_How could they tell? _thought Ranma, hiding his surprise at the mention of Jurai.

"But I thought we were attempting to avoid their borders," said Claudia.

"We are," replied Exedore. "However we discovered this wreckage and thought it best to inform you that we are changing course and taking more caution."

"I don't know why you're worried. We've already been give safe passage to travel through the edges of the Juraian Empire." Ranma made these comments without really thinking it through. Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Are you saying it's safe to go through Juraian territory?" asked Exedore.

Ranma gave an affirmative reply and indicated that it was set up some eighteen hours ago. At this point he realized what he'd just said. He figured he would have to answer questions he couldn't answer. To his surprise, the Zentraedi took this as good news, not concerned about the messenger, while the information seemed to not register with Claudia and Lisa. Things were set in motion to change course. When it was all said and done, they would arrive at the target eight Earth hours earlier.

* * *

No questions were asked of Ranma as they made their way back to the sleeping quarters. As they drew closer to their quarters, Lisa felt a jab into her right side. She quickly gave Claudia an offending look, not appreciating the body shot. But with an eye gesture from Claudia, Lisa understood what was going on. Thinking along the same lines as Claudia, Lisa realized this was an opportunity for some "alone time" with Ranma.

"Say, um, Ranma, would you like to have a drink before turning in?" she asked, as they approached her door.

Without thinking Ranma agreed, as long as it was tea. Lisa was grateful; however she wasn't a big tea drinker. She gave Claudia a pleading look, but Claudia quickly shook her head. She didn't want to become the middle person in this situation. Then she realized that might not be the case.

As they stood in front of Lisa's door, Claudia said, "Ranma, could you be a dear and wait in Lisa's room while we talk?"

Ranma didn't know how to respond. What was so important that "Aunt" Claudia needed to talk to Lisa in private? Nevertheless he went into Lisa's quarters.

"I got just the thing for you," stated Claudia, as she made her way to her room.

"You're a life saver," Lisa replied, joining Claudia.

"Though you should have never suggested drinks. Everyone knows that Ranma avoids alcohol."

"I thought that's what you were thinking."

"No, I was thinking you should invite him in for a snack," Claudia said, giving Lisa a playful bop on the head. She continued as they walked into her quarters. "Don't you know the quickest way to Ranma's heart is his stomach? Why do you think Kasumi Tendo is now carrying his child? Sure she beautiful, but she knows that Ranma will do anything if properly fed."

"Can we not talk about his other women?"

Claudia paid no attention to the comment. She was busy rummaging through her bags. From one of them, she pulled out a tin box. It looked rather old and slightly beaten. "Here you go," she said, passing the tin to Lisa. "It's a special blend of tea that Roy gave to me on our second month anniversary. Now I only drink it when I want to spend time with him"

"I-I can't use this. This…"

"Don't worry. I'm sure Roy won't mind since it's Ranma."

"I just…"

"Girl, are you gonna keep him waiting?"

And with that, Lisa was pushed out the door.

Meanwhile in her quarters, Ranma felt a bit on edge. The situation seemed a little déjà vu, for the request to have drinks came out of the blue. However Lisa was a friend; nothing would happen.

Beginning to wonder what was taking so long, Ranma scanned the room to see what type of keepsakes Lisa brought with her. Besides it wasn't like there was anything special about the room. They were all alike, although something did catch his eye. There was a picture frame on Lisa's desk. He walked over and looked at a picture of him, Lisa and the twins. He remembered when it was taken. It was a warm spring day right after Sakura had walked for the very first time but right before he had to return to Japan. Nabiki had been out of town for a photo shoot, and his mother thought it would be a good day for a family picnic in the newly finished Macross Park and had invited Lisa.

"We sure look like a family," he said just as the door opened.

"Sorry for taking so long," apologized Lisa upon entering. Then she noticed Ranma holding the picture that had replaced Karl Riber in importance.

"No problem," replied Ranma.

The room fell into an awkward silence. Lisa went about making the tea while Ranma returned the picture to the deck and took a seat.

"Sakura is a really cute girl," Lisa finally commented.

"Well, she does take after her father," boasted Ranma. "And don't forget about Akito."

"No, we mustn't do that. Though I have to say that I envy you. You have two nice kids. All I have is my career."

"Aw, there ain't no reason to be envious of me. Sure, I have two kids with a third on the way, but unfortunately none of them are with my fiancée. You, on the hand, will find that guy to have that family. I'm positive."

_I've found that guy. Unfortunately he only sees me as a friend_, thought Lisa.

"What was that?" asked Ranma.

Apparently Lisa's thoughts weren't kept to herself. Luckily it was said low enough that Ranma, even with great hearing, couldn't hear it.

"Tea's ready," Lisa played it off.

* * *

"_**All personnel, prepare for final defold. Repeat, all, personnel, prepare for final defold.**_"

"_**All pilots to their crafts. All pilots to their crafts. Prepare for immediate launch. Prepare for immediate launch.**_"

"_**Commander Saotome to the bridge. Commander Saotome to the bridge.**_"

Ranma stopped where he was. He was slightly confused, unsure if he heard the announcement right. It took hearing his name a third time before he was convinced. But why was he needed on the bridge at this moment?

As he made his way to the bridge, the ship came out of hyperspace in front of them was the mission's objection, the Robotech Factory. Lisa would later describe the factory in her mission report as shaped like a primate brain with several smaller replicas attached to it with transportation tubes.

In truth the factory held no importance to the RDF. It was Breetai and Exedore who placed a value on it, by explaining that the factory was a means for remaining the Zentraedi loyal to Dolza to rebuild their numbers. Thus, to prevent a second war between the Zentraedi, this small force was sent to capture it.

"Say, why do you think he asked for Ranma to come to the bridge?" Lisa whispered to Claudia.

"_**Launch the surprise**_."

"How should I know," replied Claudia after the announcement.

On the spur of the moment, Breetai made an addition to the plan. Unfortunately he couldn't relay it to one of the parties, as the projecbeam changed from the view Robotech Factory to that of another Zentraedi. He was a man with large eye and a squared jaw. His hair was a curly blue and nose very prominent. He wore a blue uniform with red piping and a green command tunic. This was Commander Reno. He had once been one of Breetai's field commanders before receiving a command of his own to protect the Robotech Factory.

"Greeting, Commander Reno," said Breetai. "It is good to see you in good health."

"The same can be said to you, Lord Breetai. It is good to see that you survived the battle that unfortunately claimed Lord Dolza."

"Yes. It was quite unfortunate what happen." Breetai tried to play off his involvement in the matter. Though there was a surprise headed for Reno's fleet, there was hope that this operation could go without any casualties.

"So what brings you out here?" asked Reno. "I know it could not be for casual conversation considering your betrayal to your people. And do not act surprise. How else could someone infected by the Micronians be able to survive their rightful fate?"

"If you must know, I am here to ask you to surrender the factory and join us."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because we have Protoculture," explained Breetai. He was trying to sound vague in hopes that Plan B would succeed.

"I would never surrender to a traitor. But I might take up your offer if I could see the matrix."

With the sound of the opening of the door, Breetai set his plan into motion. Ranma walked onto the bridge and was greeted by Exedore. "Minister Exedore, by chance you could tell me what's going on? We're about to start the operation, and I get called to the bridge."

"It will all be explained shortly," replied Exedore. "Commander Hayes, could you join us?" Lisa was startled by Exedore asking her to step away from her station. When Lisa joined them, Exedore explained Breetai's intentions.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ranma said in outrage.

"What is all that noise?" asked Reno. He and the others on his bridge were rather surprised when Breetai announced it as his proof of Protoculture and had the projecbeam display a Micronian male and female standing together. They all gasped because males and females being in the same room was a foreign concept to them.

"And now you shall see the power of Protoculture," announced Breetai over the view of Ranma and Lisa.

"Come on, do it," whispered Lisa, realizing that was their cue.

"I refuse," replied Ranma. "I have more important things to worry about, and now people want me to pucker up for an audience."

"I'm ordering you to kiss me. I won't allow you to make us look like fools."

Ranma felt stuck. Even though they were of the same rank, Lisa was technically his superior. _Okay, I'll do it but not enjoy it_, he thought as he moved to kiss her. For Lisa, it was perplexing because he freely kissed her just last night (though on the cheek) but now protested.

It wasn't just Commander Reno and his bridge that witnessed the kiss between the Micronian male and female. It broadcasted to all the ships under Commander Reno's command. They were all horrified by what they saw. This was calculated by Breetai, though that's not to say that Breetai and Exedore weren't unaffected themselves.

And it wasn't just any ordinary kiss. The first kiss between Lisa and Ranma was for demonstration. The next was for escape. This current kiss was nothing of the sort. This kiss was full of feelings and passion that they had for the other but kept to themselves. There was no telling how long they would have kissed, if it was for the laughter of Commander Reno. They broke their kiss (with Claudia quick to prevent Lisa from falling) and watched the Zentraedi continuing to laugh. It proved to be a real buzz kill.

"Did you think that would work against me, Lord Breetai," stated Reno. "I am not of weak constitution like the others."

_Then explain why you looked like you're going to die_, thought Claudia.

"Actually, that was just a distraction," announced Breetai.

On Reno's ship, one of the radar operators reported that there were two unidentified objects headed towards them. Reno was appalled that something like this could be missed until that moment. No sooner had that announcement been made, explosion rocked the ship, forming a gapping hole in the hold just below the command bubble. Through that hole entered two Veritechs, one red and one blue. The two transformed into Guardian mode to land, leaving Reno and the others in his command bubble confused as to what was happening. Weapons were drawn, though no one knew how to respond.

While waiting for something to happen, the canopy of the red Veritech opened, and out from it, stood its red-clad pilot. The Zentraedi could see the tell-tale signs that the Micronian was a female. Already panic was starting to set in, as contact with even female Zentraedi were few and far between. When the pilot took off her helmet and displayed the long emerald green locks, recognition started to take place.

"I am Miriya Parino-Sterling, former Quadrono commander, second in command under Azonia, and now an officer of the Earth forces," Miriya announced. It was said in Zentraedi but was understood by Max, thanks to the universal translator. As Miriya spoke, the canopy to the blue Veritech opened. It was almost as if on cue, when Miriya pointed and said, "And this is Lieutenant Maximilian Sterling." At that Max stood and took his helmet off. "He, too, is an officer of the Earth force," Miriya continued, "and… my mate."

There were some grumblings over the wording. The word "mate" didn't exist in Zentraedi. So Miriya said something that was relatively close, "life compatriot."

As the Zentraedi struggled with the meaning of the wording, Miriya reached behind her and brought Dana into view. The Zentraedi were stunned to miniaturized Micronian. They weren't sure if their eyes were playing tricks on them. How was it possible for Miriya to be holding a miniaturized Micronian, and how did she go about getting one?

"And this is our daughter, Dana Komilia Sterling," Miriya added. "She came out of my body. Made from me and my mate. This is the true power of Protoculture."

This truly freaked them out. How was it possible for a male and a female to make another being? That simply wasn't possible. Was there more to Protoculture than they were led to believe?

Though Breetai couldn't see what Miriya and Max were doing, he could witness the reactions. Now was the time to strike, thus he ordered the immediate scramble of all fighters. Ranma took that as his cue to leave the bridge. As he ran for the door, he hesitated momentarily to look back at Lisa, wanting to say something. Unfortunately he didn't know what to say, or at least he couldn't state it in a way that wouldn't get him into trouble.

Next Breetai ordered the playing of a recording, and soon the sound of Minmei singing was heard. That seemed to break them spirit, as normally discipline officers started running out of the command bubble of Commander Reno.

Hearing the music and seeing the commotion, Max and Miriya knew it was time for them to leave. Max would escort Miriya back to ship before leading his squadron. Since her Veritech had been modified for carrying Dana, she had little armament to get involve in combat.

The fighting was over pretty much before it started. Under Ranma's command, the Veritechs and Battlepods made quick work of Reno's disorganized fighters. Once their lines were broken, Breetai opened fire onto Reno's fleet. Within seconds all but one ship were destroyed. That quickly led to its commander surrendering and offering his allegiance to Breetai.

"Boy, that seemed a little anticlimactic," Ranma said to Rick over the tac-net.

"I don't know why you would say that," replied Rick. "We just did what you drilled them to do."

"Yeah, I guess we did."

With that they laughed.

* * *

After the battle ended, Breetai collected all the remaining fighters. Causalities were low. Ranma lose two from his squadron, three from Max's squadron, and ten Battlepods. Since the Battlepod made up the bulk of the fighting force, ten was a low number. Once the fighters were recovered, Breetai's ship boarded the Robotech Factory.

Once onboard the ship, an inspection was done for possible hostiles. Though Breetai was assured by the surrendering commander, he fell for a booby trap once and was not about to fall into another. When the factory was secured, Breetai prepped it for hyperspace. And when all that was done, they made their way back to Earth.

The travel home was shorter due to being allowed to travel through Juraian space. When the Robotech Factory folded into Earth, it was quite noticeable. Earth has had many manmade satellites orbit her, but this was the first manmade object that was visible to the naked human eye. Its size made it a mini-moon. The scientific community had to quickly meet in order to determine if something that size could affect Earth's fragile ecosystem.

A shuttle left Earth carrying Admiral Gloval and Doctor Lang to exam the factory, while two shuttles and a flight of Veritechs returned to Earth. For Rick it was a little hard to believe that a little over two weeks had passed. For him it seemed that they were only gone for five days. Ranma explained that was how he felt when he returned after being held hostage.

However that wasn't a talking point after being debriefed.

"I'm serious, Ranma. I think Minmei would love for you to do another song with her."

"I tell ya I don't think I have the time for that," responded Ranma.

"I don't know why you're concern about time. It's not like there is a set schedule for recording."

"Say, were you expecting Minmei when we returned?" asked Ranma as they exited the hanger.

"Huh?" Rick stopped and looked at Ranma, clueless as to what he was getting at. He wondered why Ranma would ask such a question. Minmei was supposed to be touring the east coast.

Since he had been talking to Ranma with his head facing him, he looked forward and saw Minmei along with Nodoka, standing next to Nodoka's car. How she knew when they were coming back was beyond him, but he was grateful to see her. He ran out to her, brought her into his arms, and gave him a big kiss.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"She's here to give you some good news," Nodoka replied.

"Huh?"

He returned his gaze back to his wife. Minmei stood there, tongue tied. For the length of time he was gone, she had wondered how she was going to tell him. Having Ranma there just added pressure.

Ranma walked over to his mother and asked, "What's up, mom?" Nodoka whispered that Minmei had some news for Rick.

"Is somethin' wrong, dear?" asked Rick.

Minmei began sensing how strange was that she was nervous about relaying this life altering news when she could perform in front of thousands of fans regularly. _It would be easy if mom would just tell them_, she thought. But she realized that it was her responsibility to her family.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she said, "Rick, we're gonna have a baby."

She waited to hear Rick's response. None came. What she did realize was Rick was no longer holding her. It gave a sense of disappointment. There was no response, and he had let her go. Opening her eye revealed why that was the case, as Rick was on asphalt having fainted from the shock of becoming a father.

* * *

Author's notes:

Credit: songs used are by The Beatles, Weezer and Queen.


	26. Kidnap

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 26: Kidnap

* * *

"_Here's some news on the celebrity front.We now know the reason for Lynn Minmei's sudden cancellation the other night. The pop idol has announced that she is married and pregnant. Many have wondered when something between her and her concert manager would happen. But as it turns out nothing will, as she has been married to war hero Lieutenant Commander Rick Hunter since the end of the war. This will be the couple's first child. As of now, the remaining dates of the tour have been canceled."_

"_Who would have thought something like that would have been kept secret for this long? I feel sorry for Lynn Kyle. Though I'm…"_

At this point, Kyle turned off the television in his hotel room. He then drank the scotch that he'd just poured. Now that the news of Minmei's pregnancy was out, it definitely signaled his lost opportunity.

---

Four months ago, Minmei couldn't understand why she insisted on staying away from Japan for so long. First of all, no sooner had she returned, her health returned to normal, as she no longer felt the symptoms of morning sickness. Secondly, it was here that she was able to spend quality time with her husband. It no longer felt as if every time they were together they had to spend it like a honeymoon, though it might have something to do with the life growing within her.

Or maybe it might come from the knowledge that she was done touring. Rick and Ranma were quite shocked to hear that. In a way, her baby made a decision she had difficulties making. For so long, her dream had been to become a pop music star. She achieved that on the SDF-1. When she returned to Earth, she had wanted to prove that she was not a manufactured pop star (a thought brought about from Kyle). So she had her albums released on Earth and quickly proved that it wasn't the people in Macross City. That led to the torrid touring schedule of Kyle's, in which she barely saw her husband or brother.

Four months later, it was obvious that she was with child, and thus the touring ended. Maybe this was the way it was supposed to be. She was probably as big of a star as she was going to be. Maybe now was the time to concentrate on recording. She hadn't been the studio in almost forever. And just maybe, pushing the right buttons, she could get Ranma to record with her.

But that was for another time.

As a stay at home wife, she busied herself by doing housework in the apartment the RDF had provided the Hunters while in Tokyo. Contrary to Ranma's description, the metropolitans around Tokyo Bay looked like many cities around the world. Though reconstruction was progressing nicely, the scientists of the RDF decided to construct their research facilities underground adjacent to the old American air force base. As a means of accommodation, they repaired and refurbished an intact apartment complex in Fussa.

The apartment wasn't much. In many ways, it reminded Minmei of some of the apartments of her childhood friends. It had taken Rick awhile to get use to it because the size was nothing like that of American apartments. There was the living/dining room area, the kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. They were fortunate to get the second bedroom, not because of Minmei's celebrity status but on the life she carried. Minmei's fame could have warranted them more luxury accommodations, but that was not what Minmei wanted. She had come to realize that there was a time and a place to use her fame while she was away from Rick. Now was one of the times, which was why she didn't mind doing housework.

It was to her great surprise when she heard the doorbell ring. She couldn't possibly think of who would come to visit her, especially since the people she knew that still lived in Japan were either many kilometers away or not on the greatest speaking terms. She also knew it couldn't be her mother. Nodoka wasn't due in town for another month; at least that was what she said.

Then she thought about it for a second. For all she knew, it could have been one of the other wives that stayed in the apartment. She had hid herself in the apartment much like she had done while on tour, only going out when coerced by her husband.

"K-Kyle!" she exclaimed when she opened the door to find her tall cousin.

"You don't need to be surprise, Minmei," replied Kyle, as he let himself in. "It's not like I wasn't gonna check on my client's health."

Kyle allowed himself into the apartment and made his way to the couch. Minmei was still at the door, too shocked to move. Kyle was the last person she expected to see while in Japan. After the confrontation between him and her mother, she wasn't expecting to see him until after the birth of her child.

"You're looking well," announced Kyle, "though a little fat. Not good for a pop star like you."

Kyle's moment of insensitivity got Minmei moving. In a way to get pass the comment, she went into housewife and made her way into the kitchen, putting on some water for tea. It was also a clear ploy in avoiding the question. Minmei knew what he was getting at. Nodoka had told him she wouldn't tour while she was still experiencing morning sickness. Maybe that was why Nodoka was insistent on Rick to take the R&D assignment.

"I'm sorry, but this is all we have," Minmei said, entering the living room with a tea set. "Rick doesn't drink, so we don't have any alcohol."

_Typical_, thought Kyle as he accepted his cup. He took a sip of tea and thought of it as bitter but was able not to show it to Minmei. He instantly thought that this could be used to his advantage. It was quite obvious that Minmei was just playing house if she was unable to brew a good cup of tea. Granted these were the thoughts of a man who subsisted on hard alcohol more and more as the days went along.

"So when did you want to return?" asked Kyle, placing his cup on the table.

"Huh?" Minmei was clueless on how to respond. She even knew the question would come after Kyle's initial comment.

"I mean your **mother** did agree that you would return once you were better. And like I said, you're looking well."

"Yeah, I am. Grandpa's got this friend, Washu Something; I forget her last name. Well she gave me this drink that she said would help with the morning sickness. At first I was skeptical about it, but she said it worked for her daughter, Uncle Tenchi's wife, mom and Nabiki. I didn't know they had morning sickness. Well since it worked for them, I drank it and haven't many bouts of morning sickness."

"Were you going to tell me about this any time soon?" asked Kyle. "Do you realize how much money we have lost in four months because of your idiotic move?"

Minmei stared at him with a mean glare. It wasn't like she didn't know that Kyle was in it for the money. She just hoped that it wasn't his sole purpose. Or maybe Minmei did know but stayed blind to the fact because of love for cousin.

"I'm finished," she announced.

It was such a vague statement that Kyle did not understand the meaning of what she was saying. His first thoughts were of her cup of tea. There were no reasons why he needed to know that she was finished with her tea. It wasn't like she couldn't refill her own cup. "Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean I gonna wait on you, hands and feet. You can refill your own cup."

Saying that, he took another sip of tea.

"I'm done touring," said Minmei to make her point.

Kyle lowered his cup and returned her glare. And then he had to laugh. In his mind, there was no way that Minmei could be serious. Like Ranma, he knew that her life-long dream was to be a pop music star, and pop stars don't stop touring just as they are beginning. "Now, seriously, when and where do you want to restart the tour?"

"I don't want to tour anymore," explained Minmei. "I have a family now, and I like knowing that when I wake up, I'm not in some no-name hotel or the fact the first and last person I see every day is my husband."

Kyle was fortunate that he had not had a drink in over 18 hours. Since this was the case, he didn't fly off the handle. As it was, his identity and livelihood was deciding to call it quits. But that was not to say that his mind was not working in overdrive. They sat in silence as Kyle's mind started thinking of spin control. And with no alcohol in his system, the processes went quickly.

"Well, what about your fans? Don't you think it's unfair to them that you feel family is more important than them?"

Minmei wasn't sure what Kyle was talking about. It wasn't like she had forgotten about them. She was still going to record. That wasn't a good thing to Kyle, as it still affected his livelihood and his means of spreading his message. He was only the road manager. Ranma had made sure that Kyle wasn't involved in any other aspects of Minmei.

"Well, at least give them a farewell concert," suggested Kyle. He immediately realized the brilliance in the suggestion. He was old enough to remember hearing and reading about many the reunion tours after a farewell concert.

Minmei had to think about that for a minute. Deep down, she didn't like how she had to cancel her last concert. If she threw a farewell concert, it would allow those she cancelled on to see her one last time. It was this thought that Kyle had been counting on. So when she agreed, he kept a neutral impression but was beaming on the inside.

---

The announcement of Minmei's farewell concert could not have come at the worst time. The concert would take place on the North American continent. But the situation there had changed since Rick and Minmei left for Japan. And it had the RDF on high alert with constant patrols 24/7.

Khyron had returned and stole one of the few remaining sizing chambers.

It wasn't known to Minmei, but this led to Kyle showing up at her doorstep. There had been a confrontation between him and Ranma over posting a couple of Battloids to guard said machine after the first attempt to steal it. When Kyle got the support of the citizen of New Detroit, Ranma realized it was pointless and took his Veritechs with him, only to return hours later to find the machine stolen, a smoldering city, and a mayor crying over the decision he made.

But that was irrelevant to many people now. Minmei was returning to the stage, though it did come as a surprise to many people. They knew of her pregnancy, but they could not understand why she would suddenly decide to never hold another concert. To much of the Earth's population, Minmei was a burgeoning superstar.

All the talk did nothing to stop Kyle from making his preparations. One thing he knew, they were going to need to largest concert hall available because of his expectations of the size of the crowd. But that did not stop him from secretly planning the next concert. Kyle was banking on Minmei wanting to return to the road once she got a taste of the applause from the crowd. He was betting on Minmei still being an impulsive teenager. It was a gamble he was willing to take because his entire fortune revolved around Minmei. He could not see himself taking over the restaurant if Minmei kept her stance.

All this notwithstanding, Minmei's farewell concert was the sure to be the biggest event to happen in this new world. Many people had their eyes on making the trip from all over the world. But there were eyes on this event that people did not want to see. Eyes that belong to Khyron.

To Khyron, this event was proof that his fortune was changing. Fortunes have changed quite often for Khyron and his unit in the two years since the end conflict. After Breetai's dismissal, his fleet made an attempt to leave the system, only to find out their Protoculture supplies would not allow them to do so. After "sacrificing" the majority of his forces, Khyron limped back to Earth. Along the way, he rescued a life pod containing Azonia. Until recently, he, Azonia, and his remaining crew in the Artic Circle.

That was not to say that he did not know of the situation around the world to Zentraedi. From his crew, he sent out spies in order to inform him of the activities of their fellow Zentraedi, believed to be disillusioned. It was through these spies that he learned about the Zentraedi wondering the wilderness that was now Earth. It was also through these spies that he learned of the working sizing chamber on Earth.

It was said sizing chamber that caused the present world crisis. For Khyron, the situation was hilarious as he had the RDF on a wild goose hunt looking for him and the sizing chamber. While this was happening, Khyron had relocated his base of operations to an old American air force base just outside what used to be Colorado Springs.

Renamed Zarkopolis, he, with some words from Azonia, planned out the next course of action. First of all, he put the sizing chamber into full use, returning Zentraedi to their rightful heights. While doing this, he proceeded to the next phase, getting off this god-forsaken planet. And in Khyron's mind, there was only one ship that could accomplish that task-the SDF-1.

Unfortunately until the announcement of the farewell Minmei concert, Khyron had yet to develop a means of obtaining it without the possibility of destroying it.

"Kidnapping?" questioned Azonia with great bewilderment. Khyron had laid out his plan to her and Grel. Although the tactic had been used, kidnapping was something that was foreign to her.

"Yes. We kidnap their precious song bird, and they will give us anything we want," re-explained Khyron.

Grel was in agreement with Khyron without question. Azonia, on the other hand, was still gaining a belief in what Khyron suggested would be the right thing to do. Unfortunate to her, Khyron knew of her apprehension.

"How are you going to pull this off?" Azonia asked. "Security has to be tight around her."

Khyron didn't care about Micronian security. It wasn't like he couldn't crush it. But to help with her apprehension, he informed her that Minmei was allowed to travel the world without any escorts. It hard for Azonia to believe that as fact. It wasn't proper military procedure to allow a weapon of great importance to roam unguarded. Khyron was quick to remind her that the Micronians didn't operate in the same manners of their other enemies.

"And we are in luck because she is traveling to a location that is close to us."

---

"Minmei, do you really think this is wise?" asked Nabiki.

Nodoka and Lena were upset over the announcement of the farewell concert, and thus they wanted nothing to do with the foolish girl. That left things to Nabiki to act as family. She didn't mind it a bit, as the two had grown close since the birth of Akito, and it allowed the two to briefly catch up on things as this was the first time the two had been in the same place since Nabiki had made a name for herself in the world of photography. In fact, it was the world of photography that led to their current situation. Minmei wanted a pictorial record for her child of her last concert. So she asked the best photographer she knew, Nabiki. That was why she was in a car, driving Minmei to New Denver for the concert.

"I don't see why mom, auntie, and Rick are upset over this," stated Minmei. "I mean, I owe it to my fans, as this will be my last concert now that I'm having a baby."

"But I don't think the time is good because of the current climate," remarked Nabiki.

Minmei didn't have a clue by the meaning of that. But then again, no one had told her what was happening on this side of the world. It didn't help that Minmei was never big on keeping up with the news.

Silence permeated through the car for the next half hour. During that time, many thoughts went through the mind of both women. Nabiki's thoughts usually centered around four things: work, Akito, her sisters and niece, and Ranma, though primarily Ranma. It had been a couple of years now since she decided to pursue Ranma. By this time, she thought it should be clear sailing. But things had become complicated. She had competition from her own sister (Kasumi), a fellow soldier, and his own mother (which flat out sickened her). One would have thought that with a son, she would have a leg up, but two of women were competition because they had a child with him. The third was able to spend more time with Ranma then she could. She just wished she knew what to do to make Ranma hers.

Minmei, on the other hand, thought solely of one thing-baby names. She wondered to keep the sex of the baby a surprise, so she was in the process of narrowing a list down. As it was, she and Rick had agreed on one name if was a boy. Roy. To be accurate, it was Rick who wanted the name Roy, but Minmei thought it would be a great way to honor her "uncle." As far as a girl's name, Minmei wasn't sure what to do. She'd asked Rick what he thought naming it after his mother, but he didn't even know it. She had died giving birth to him, and his father never brought it up. It was Rick opinion that the girl's name should honor Minmei's heritage.

"If you had a girl instead of Akito, what would you have named her?"

Nabiki thought about this for a second before answering. When she finally answered, baby talk dominated the conversation until they reached New Denver. Minmei saw Nabiki as a greater resource about what she was coming for her than her mother. Nabiki was closer in age, and Akito was her first child. Sure her little sister was born around the same time, but her mother had experience. Some would say Minmei's thoughts went against conventional wisdom, which suggested getting advice from one with greater knowledge.

But just as they drove into New Denver, Minmei threw Nabiki a curve. "Do you think Ranma would mind going into the recording studio?"

Nabiki simply looked at her in response. How was she to answer a question like that? But she thought about it for a second before busting out laughing. Sure she remembered Ranma singing at the Sterling wedding, but she couldn't actually see Ranma going into a recording studio and recording a song. Unfortunately Nabiki didn't know that Ranma had already done such a thing. So she was joking when she finally replied that it would be a great.

"You think so," replied Minmei, "because I started writing again. This time I want to record in Japanese. You know, people at speaking it more and more back home."

After more thought, Nabiki added, "This is probably something that Ranma needs. He needs time away from fighting."

"My thoughts exactly!" Minmei exclaimed. "I was at home and thinking 'Ranma needed a new hobby.' I mean, his life is so full of fighting ever since I met him. And I also don't get to spend time with him."

"Ah, so the real reason comes to light!" stated Nabiki, just as she came up to the venue holding the concert. It was quite impossible to miss. A crowd of human and Zentraedi waited outside for admission. It surprised Nabiki. The number of Zentraedi she could believe, but the number of humans there was unimaginable. "You're just looking for time with him. It appears that you're no different than any other female in his life." Nabiki said that with a laugh. She pulled into the area cordon off for Minmei and the band found to be the opening act.

That was when she was greeted by the biggest surprise since finding out Minmei was pregnant. Lynn Kyle.

---

As the concert was set to start, there were some who had not a clue that Minmei was about to put on her last concert, namely the members of Skull Squadron. So important was the sizing chamber that Admiral Gloval had ordered his best unit to recapture it at all cost. The cost was only their sleep. In order to do that, Gloval sent Lisa in a "flying command post" (modeled after the US Air Force AWACS plane) to provide tactical support.

Currently, Ranma was leading an attack against a flight of Battlepods. It was almost unfair for the flight to run into this highly-trained squad with forward tactical support. The brief flare up could have easily been avoided. It started when a Battlepod fired at the squadron as it made its sweep over what used to be called "America's Bread Basket." Having had more combat experience than most Zentraedi as of late, Skull Squadron made sure that none survived.

It was until afterwards that Lisa told them they should had captured one in order to gather information towards finding the sizing chamber. To rectify this, Ranma and two others went back and searched the area where the combat started. They didn't find any information of Khyron. What they did find was a Zentraedi ship surprisingly fully stocked with food, fuel, and munitions.

---

It was the first time Nabiki had actually seen Minmei perform live and now understood what her appeal was. Nabiki was just off to the side, taking pictures of both Minmei and the crowd, and they were the loudest crowd she'd ever heard. And she could understand why, for Minmei's stage performance was an amazing sight to see. From observing the males in the crowd, she realized that Minmei had sex appeal even though it was obvious that was pregnant.

Kyle stood off stage, relishing the performance. He could see the enjoyment in Minmei's face. He knew there was no way she could give this up. All he had to do was get her back on the stage. Now he was thankful that he had secretly arranged the other concert dates to start later that week.

Minmei was giving the performance of her life. But it was the least she could do. This was the last time that her fans would be able to see her live. She wanted to give them something to remember as a way of saying thank you for all the continued support. To help her do this, she had added dance to go long with her costume changes.

Unfortunately, with all the noise, no one heard the rumbling sounds of metal on concrete. No one knew of the danger they were in until the front wall of the concert hall came crashing down.

---

That evening, things went about normally in New Macross. Veritechs did there patrols. The citizens went about their business not knowing what had happened in New Denver. Unfortunately the same could be said for the ranking officials of the RDF. News of the attack on New Denver was slow to reach the SDF-1, mainly due to the fact there was still little worldwide news coverage. Even though there was an old American military installation nearby, the RDF had not an outpost in what used to be the state of Colorado.

Operations were moving smoothly at the RDF headquarters (SDF-1). Since Lisa had attached herself to Ranma's unit, Claudia took charge of the tactical operations. At the moment, she was briefing Gloval and the rest of the senior staff about developments in returning the sizing chamber.

"Admiral Gloval, we're receiving an urgent message for you," proclaimed a voice of one of the communications tech.

Optimism filled the room with thoughts of it being Commander Hayes reporting that they were in possession of the sizing chamber. But what they got, when the monitor turned on, was their new hated enemy.

"Ah, Admiral Gloval, it is good to see you again," announced Khyron.

"You have some nerve to show-" one member of the senior staff started to say, only to be interrupted by Khyron.

"Now, I would watch what I say," he said calmly, before presenting Minmei Hunter to those in attendance, "or something might happen to this pretty little songbird."

Claudia gasped at seeing her "niece," especially knowing about her present condition. Some of the men also gasped, but there were also angry grumbles of disbelief.

"What can I do for you, Khyron?" asked Gloval calmly, masking his outrage.

"I will make this short," stated Khyron. "Surrender the fortress within twenty-four of your Earth hours, and I'll return your songbird to you. Or else you'll never see her or the other alive again."

"Don't do it, Admiral! Don't give in to their demands." The picture pulled back to show Azonia holding two figures herself. First they were surprised to find that Azonia was still alive, believed to have perished with her ship during the final battle with Dolza. As the camera focused on the figures in her fists, everyone recognized them to be Nabiki Tendo and Lynn Kyle.

"I would not think of that as a wise move, Admiral," replied Khyron. He motioned to Azonia, who started to constrict her fist. There was a great uproar from the members to the senior staff as they witnessed this. Kyle started to turn blue before Khyron told her to stop. "Remember, you have twenty-four hours," remarked Khyron.

And with that, the monitor went black. Once everybody's mental processes returned, plans for a rescue began. There was no way they would hand over the SDF-1. There were many reasons behind the decision, though first and foremost was the fact the ship was no longer flight worthy. But they were fortunate that they traced and now had Khyron's location. What they came up with was having Skull Squadron perform a surgical strike to rescue the hostages and capture the sizing chamber.

"You can't honestly use Commander Saotome for this mission?" commented Claudia.

"Who better to lead it," stated the senior Operations officer.

"But don't you see the conflict of interest. That's his sister and mother of his child there."

"Then who might you suggest, Lieutenant Commander. As you know he's the most qualified to run such a mission."

Claudia wanted to say something about that, but the colonel was right. But she wasn't sure that Ranma could rationally accomplish this mission.

"Besides, if we're lucky, Commander Saotome could off the bastard in the process."

---

"That sounds like a doable plan," announced Ranma.

He and the rest of Skull Squadron were in the mobile command post being briefed on the rescue operation. The fortunate thing was Skull Squadron was intimately familiar with this type of operation, as Ranma had training scenarios for such as event, knowing that this was bound to happen. Besides he didn't want what happened the last time someone was capture by the Zentraedi.

"All right then. The operation is set to commence in an hour. Do you think you can be in position by then, Commander?" asked the tactical officer back on SDF-1.

"Yeah, we can be there." With that, the feed from Macross ended, and Ranma went about assigning pilots to task. With what was being asked, Ranma had faith that things would be pulled off smoothly.

Tasks assigned, Ranma ordered the squadron to scramble. Before he hopped back into Skull One, he was stopped by Lisa.

"Are you sure you should be leading this mission. After all, it is your family that was captured."

Ranma looked at Lisa with a confident, cocky smile that she was starting to hate. "Who better to do the job?"

---

"That was excellent, Lord Khyron!" exclaimed one of his many underlings in the hanger. Khyron took the praise as he normally did. But he wasn't doing this for the praise. At this point in time, he could careless. He had a goal and a plan of action to achieve that goal.

"I think this calls for celebration," announced Khyron. Though he didn't want the praise, he knew what this action would do for his men. "A day from now, we'll be off this godforsaken planet, and I'll take my rightful place as the lord of the universe!"

A cheer rang out from the assembled crowd. They were all former members Botoru Fleet. All had pledged their loyalty to Khyron. All were willing to do whatever Khyron ordered, having survived the Micronian campaign thus far. All had suffered living on this planet with their leader, and all where happy to soon be leaving it.

"Bring out the ale."

For the next hour or so, there was consumption of mass quantities of alcohol. For a race that was very dependant on others for their technology, the Zentraedi surely knew how to brew a potent ale. Khyron went on and then turned in the direction of the makeshift prison of forks and glared at Minmei with a devious grin. "How about some entertainment? Surely Miss Minmei will do us the honor and sing for this celebration."

Though they were loyal to Khyron, a great cheer was given at this prospect. Minmei was set to say that she wanted no part in this, but Kyle was quick to see this as an opportunity for escape and accepted the offer. Nabiki and Minmei looked at him as if he was crazy. Their looks became thoughts as Kyle whispered his plan. They had both heard from Ranma, who heard from Exedore, about Khyron's possible mental instability.

"This is your chance to get away," Kyle was whispering. "It's a fact that they have a weakness for singing. So when it appears that they're weakening, make a break for it."

Nabiki instantly thought of what would happen to her and Kyle if Minmei did just that. Minmei had the same thought, but she trusted that Kyle knew what was right. That didn't stop her from looking at Nabiki in hopes that she would provide a better idea. Unfortunately Nabiki had no ideas.

Thus Minmei agreed to Khyron's demand. After being taken out of the makeshift prison, as if a pet animal, Minmei began to sing from the palm of Khyron's hand, as he sat on some type of makeshift "throne".

"_Living alone in Tokyo_

_Mom's kindness permeated my heart_

_Because I was alone in Tokyo_

_I was able to fall in love with him_

"_It was an unrequited love, it is okay if I cry_

_Next vacation_

_I'm gonna go back home for a bit…"_

No one knew the melody to the song, as it was something that Minmei had been working on. But that didn't stop the power of her voice from reaching and touching the Zentraedi. Minmei sensed Khyron's resolve weakening, along with noticing that his hand was moving into a position that would allow her to escape. So she made her way towards the edge of his hand. Kyle witnessed the same thing amongst the Zentraedi, so he started to shimmy up one of the forks.

But what Minmei, Kyle and everyone else in room didn't know, Khyron was "playing possum." Just as Minmei was making her move to leave his hand, it suddenly closed, taking Minmei's (as well as Nabiki's) breath away. "Foolish little Micronian! Did you actually think that your songs had an effect on me?"

Kyle slid down the fork, having lost hope of escaping. Minmei was the voice. How could there be a Zentraedi that was unaffected by her songs?

"Do you think with all this time I spent on the insignificant rock that I would not have learned how to counteract my enemy's **perfect weapon**," Khyron continued. He dropped Minmei back into the prison. "Nothing you do can affect me now."

As if to prove it, he grabbed Azonia and kissed her full on the lips. Truth be told, though she was shocked by his actions, Azonia didn't mind them one bit, but everyone else in the hanger did. The sound of amazement echoed from the witnessing Zentraedi. The feeling of disbelief permeated amongst the humans. But those feelings turned to shock and horror as things continued. Nature took hold of Khyron, and his hands started to roam Azonia's body until they ripped off her tunic, showing everyone that she wore nothing underneath it. Azonia moaned into his mouth, loving the feel of air against her skin, making no attempts to cover herself. In fact, nature took over her as she proceeded to undress Khyron.

Nabiki and Minmei turned their backs to what was happening, unwilling to watch anymore yet knowing what was bound to happen. It didn't take long before the sound of flesh meeting and Azonia grasping in ecstasy. Kyle couldn't help but to watch this sudden porn and couldn't believe how two Zentraedi from a segregated society could perform the act of physical intimacy flawlessly.

The sounds of sex lasted for quite some time. Nabiki voiced her surprise at their stamina to Minmei. But to Minmei, this was nothing, which made Nabiki wonder if she should have said anything in the first place.

There was no telling how much longer said activity would have lasted. But it came to an abrupt stop after forty-five minutes when a soldier bravely went up to the two commanders and informed Khyron of the situation that was developing.

"Why am I just now being informed?" asked Khyron, extracting himself from Azonia. The soldier didn't have time to answer before being forcibly thrown across the hanger. He made his way to the vid-screen while Azonia laid face down in the floor, savoring the intimate activity.

"What's going on out there?" Khyron bellowed to the soldier on the vid-screen.

"A large Micronian force has just shown up," the soldier replied. "We are being overrun on all fronts." Before anything else could be said, there was an explosion, causing the picture to go offline.

Khyron couldn't believe this (or didn't want to believe this). But he guessed he had his answer. Apparently they didn't care for their songbird and her companions as much as he thought, meaning that they were expendable. But first he had to deal with these intruders. So he ordered those in the hanger to battle. Unfortunately no one moved, showing that it's hard to take one serious when they're naked and dripping of fluids.

"But what about us?" asked Azonia, showing no concern about showing her assets to the hanger full of male Zentraedi.

Khyron began redressing while informing her that they could continue after they addressed this attack. A clothed Khyron signaled that it was time to get ready for combat. Even Azonia got herself combat ready, though she had to wear the tunic a common soldier since hers was torn.

Soon the only ones remaining in the hanger were Minmei, Nabiki, and Kyle.

"I think I'm going to be traumatized for the rest of my life."

---

Meanwhile "on the battlefield," everything was calm, nothing like the scene displayed to Khyron. In fact the soldier that raised the alarm was casually having cigarette with a Battloid.

What had happened was Khyron was duped by the first stage of the rescue plan. The small detachment of Zentraedi there was some of the most loyal to Breetai and also some of Minmei's biggest Zentraedi fans. When asked for volunteers, they were the first to step forward.

All there was to do now was to wait with the detachment from Skull Squadron. But their wait wasn't long as the sound of mecha on the move grew louder every waking moment. Then their dust cloud became visible. At that point, the second part of the plan was put into action. This entailed the friendly Zentraedi and Battloids to start a mock battle to make it appear that this was the main rescue unit.

---

As Khyron and his band of mecha approached, they heard the sounds and saw the smoke of battle. He licked his lips in anticipation of combat as he rode on the top of a scavenged MAC II Monster. His glory would not be denied. That was what went through his head. His mind had it all planned out. He would squash this rescue attempt; then he would kill the hostages in front of Admiral Gloval to show that he meant business. After that, he would attack that city of theirs and capture the battle fortress. And it would be great if he could kill that traitorous Breetai along the way.

When his forces were close enough, Khyron ordered them to open fire. He hoped to surprise the Micronians by his quick arrival. A surprise did happen, but it was Khyron who was surprised. With the sight of missile contrails from the first barrage, the battling Zentraedi and Micronians scattered. At first Khyron thought the Zentraedi were chasing the fleeing Micronians until he realized that they were making no effort towards catching them. He immediately fired upon the lot realizing that he was played for a fool.

_This isn't the main assault force_, he immediately thought. He then ordered everyone back to their base of operations.

---

Ranma was surprised at the ease of this operation. With his formation of four Veritechs, they swooped down and eliminated what Khyron had left behind. They had the liberty of time since the remainder of the squadron was positioned to act as an outpost to warn and prevent the return of Khyron and the force with him.

Ranma walked into the hanger first and made sure there weren't any further surprises. As he entered, he was all smiles. Not only were there no Zentraedi in the hanger, but the stolen sizing chamber would now be in their possession. Seeing this, he turned his focus on Minmei and Nabiki (along with Kyle) in the makeshift cage.

"We have the hostages and the stolen sizing chamber," he reported to Lisa.

"That's nice to hear, Commander," she replied.

"Wills, you three transport the chamber out of here," he ordered.

"Aye aye, Commander."

Once that business was taken care of, he returned his attention to Minmei and Nabiki. "Are you guys okay?"

"Hurry up and get us out of here, Saotome!" screamed Kyle, but Ranma paid him no attention.

"I'm okay," replied Nabiki, "but Minmei needs to see a doctor."

Ranma was worried by that comment. It didn't help that Minmei made no attempt to refute it. Ranma didn't know how to reply the comment, so he went about getting the three out of their prison. Moments later, Skull One, in Guardian mode, and the three Battloids left Zarkopolis.

When Khyron returned a half hour later, his scream of anger could literally be heard several miles away. He couldn't believe that the Micronians were able to best him. The day has started out so optimistically only to end as it always had. And this time was one of the few which ended bad because of the Micronians.

"Does this mean we are not going to continue our demonstration?" asked Azonia, as Khyron ranted, raved, and caused general destruction.

---

Four hours later, Ranma sat in a hospital, waiting to find out what had to be done to Minmei. After evacuating the hostages from Khyron's base of operation, Minmei, Nabiki, and Kyle were flown to the former United States Air Force base in what was the state of Utah, as it had been the closest RDF facility in the region.

As Nabiki had stated, Ranma made sure to take Minmei to the base hospital. He had hoped there was nothing serious wrong, but then doctors informed him that they needed to take Minmei into surgery. It concerned both Ranma and Nabiki because of Minmei's condition.

And for the next four hours, Ranma worried about his oldest friend and sister, until a doctor came to talk to him. "Commander Saotome, would you mind coming into my office, and I can tell what we had to do to Mrs. Hunter." Once there, the doctor informed him that they had to repair bone fractures to the rib, pelvic, and femur and several strained tendons. Ranma didn't really any of this. His only concern was for the child that his sister was carrying.

"Both children are fine," replied the doctor, "which is surprising because the type of fractures she had are conducive of those having been squeezed."

Hearing that Minmei was having twins was quite a surprised.

"But I would have to say that I'm surprised to see Mrs. Hunter," the doctor continued.

"Why is that?" asked Ranma.

"Well, she's at the stage where transoceanic flights are frowned upon."

That stuck in Ranma's mind. _Why was she here in the first place when Mom said that it was best that she didn't perform until after the baby was born?_ he asked himself. It didn't take long for him to come with his answer.

"Thanks, doc. Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"Well, that's all, Commander, except that we're going to keep her here for a few days to recover."

With that, Ranma thanked the doctor and proceeded to find his target.

Lynn Kyle had taken the moment to have a drink and a smoke. In the years since returning to Earth, Kyle had picked up these bad habits to help him past the days. For the most part, he did a good job concealing it from his family and the few friends he had, for instance, Minmei only knew that the amount of alcohol he drank had increased but didn't know that he was a heavy smoker.

After the day's festivities, he needed to have a drink and a few dozen cigarettes. So he was completely surprised when he saw Ranma walk up to him, fist cocked. He had a second to process what set to happen when his face made contact with Ranma's fist.

"If you put my family in harms way for your greed again, I'll kill ya," Ranma announced to Kyle, who laid on the ground some five yards away. "Consider yourself fired."

Kyle didn't really comprehend what Ranma said. He just knew that he had been hit the hardest he had ever been hit in his life. But he did know he wouldn't take that lying down. So he immediately rushed Ranma from behind. Ranma, ever aware of his surroundings, jumped and flipped over the charging Kyle.

What happened next would forever be remembered by those who witnessed it. Many thought they were watching a scene from a martial arts movie with some of the skill displayed by both men. But they could tell that it was an obvious mismatch between the opponents. Then again that was often the case with people who fought Ranma. As Kyle took more hits than punches thrown, he convinced himself that things would have been different if he was sober. At least he had that thought when he was hit by what seemed like a hundred punches in a second.

It had been a long time since Ranma had been in a fight, but that didn't mean his skills were rusty. And though nothing of Kyle landed, he could tell that Kyle was very skilled in the different forms of Chinese martial arts. It just wasn't enough to prevent the beating that Ranma was laying on him. To Ranma, it was rightfully deserved. He had placed his family in danger, and on top of that, he did the cowardly thing of attacking when one had their back turned.

There was no telling how long it would have lasted if the words, "Commander Saotome, you stop this this minute!" He stopped in mid kick to find Lisa (who was still his commanding officer even though they were the same rank) with her arms akimbo, obviously upset by his actions.

Putting his leg on the ground, he turned to her and said, "Look, I can explain," as Kyle slumped to the ground.

* * *

A.N.

The writing still continues, though slower than I'm sure you would like. This time I will not promise quicker post, but I am working on finishing.

The song is the opening lyrics to Furusato by Morning Musume. Thanks to the Project Hello website for the English translation.


	27. Record

Characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those of Robotech belong to Harmony Gold.

Chapter 27: Record

The basis of this chapter was hinted two chapters ago.

Key: _"italic"_-Ranma

"_italic__"-Minmei_

"_**italic**__"-Minmei and Ranma_

* * *

Once again, Ranma found herself in a recording studio. For being a replica of the one on the SDF-1, it sure did look different to her.

"Are you ready, Ranko?" asked a male's voice through Ranma's headphones. "This time we're going to put on tape."

"Yeah, I'm ready," replied Ranma, sounding annoyed.

"How about you, Minmei?"

"Ready!"

"Can we at least have the heat on before we begin?" asked Ranma, her arms akimbo trying to hold in her body heat.

"You wouldn't be cold if you'd dressed decently, Ranko!" quipped Nabiki from the other side of the glass. "Or at least for the middle of autumn." From her tone, it was obvious that she was annoyed. And she reason to be. Ranma had decided to wear a skirt and a sleeveless button-down shirt. But it didn't help that the skirt barely touched her thighs. Added to that were a pair white thigh-high stockings. None of this was good for cool tempered office that was the recording studio.

In contrast to her, Minmei wore a pair of maternity pants and a hooded sweatshirt.

Nabiki wondered why Ranma would dress like that. In truth, as upsetting it was, Nabiki wasn't fazed by it. For a guy, Ranma was the biggest flirt she knew whenever he was a she. This was yet another example. It was also another thing to add to her list concerning Ranma's sexuality, a list that was about five years old.

"If you like, I can loan you my jacket," stated the recording engineer.

"No, no, no. Let's just get this started."

With that, Minmei and Ranma prepared themselves. As they waited for the playback to begin, Minmei told Ranma to take a deep breath and relax. This was the first time they recorded together in over two years. This time they decided to sing as a dual.

"_**Taiyou ga PIKAPIKA to**_

_**temaneki o shiteru no ni**_

_**shigoto dewa nai deshou**__  
_

"_**Koibito ga mitsukarazu **_

_**kono mama ja mainichi ga**_

_**namida me ni naru deshou**_

_"__**Samui fuyu wo**_

_**kokufuku shite**_

_**soro soro hora **_

_**nigiyaka ni naru**_

_"__**Sakura ga saita**_

_**sawayaka ni saita**_

_Nihon ga ichiban shiawase na kisetsu_

_"__**Sore wa yume no you na**_

_**aoi yume no you na**_

_anata ni deaeru kisetsu_

_"__**Tooku no hou **_

_**sawagi no naka**_

_**kikoeru hora **_

_**yobu no wa dare**_

_"__**Sakura ga saita**_

_**tsugitsugi ni saita**_

_hakanaku mijikai saikou na kisetsu  
_

"_**Sore wa yume no you na**_

_**marude yume no you na**_

_dareka to wakareru kisetsu_

_"Kanashimi wo itami wo yorokobi __o_

_"__**Sakura ga saita**_

_**sawayaka ni saita **_

_Nihon de ichiban shiawase na kisetsu_

"_**Sore wa yume no you na**_

_**aoi yume no you na **_

_Anata ni deaeru kisetsu_

_"__**Ai ai ai**_

_**Ai ai ai**_

_**Ai ai ai**_

_**Ai ai ai**__"_

"Those two sound great together," commented the producer, not long after cutting the playback. "I don't know why Minmei wants to record only for the Japanese, but I believe those sisters will be big in Japan. Now if I could just get them to record an English version of this."

_You're going to be waiting a long time_, thought Nabiki, remembering how this situation came to pass.

-Flashback-

Nabiki woke up feeling the best she had in quite some time. It had been two weeks since the hostage situation, two weeks since feeling that she would never see Akito again. The event had traumatized her in a way that she hadn't realized, considering the situation on the SDF-1 when she and everyone else thought they had lived the last moments of their lives.

But in a way, this situation led to her good feeling. Needing to talk to someone, she found her way to Ranma's house. One thing led to another, and not long after the alcohol started to flow, inhibitions were lessen (especially Ranma's), and a night of passion ensued. At one point in the night, Nabiki thought she was in heaven due to pleasure she received.

As she laid in the bed, Nabiki wondered if this helped her situation. Was this going to help her win, or would he think that this was just another one night fling? These two week were the longest she had been in Macross in a half year. What she feared was starting to become reality, as it appeared that Ranma was growing closer to Lisa. Of course the fool didn't see it like that.

But, for today, she wasn't going to let that get her down. She was going to ride her euphoric high for as long as possible. In fact she thought it would be great to fix her and Ranma some breakfast while he was running errands. First she called Kasumi to apologize for forcing her to watch Akito all night. She found it strange when no one at the Hasagawa house answered, but, from experience, she figured Kasumi might be sleeping extra long due to the fact she was approaching the end of her nine months.

That done, she went about cooking brunch in only an apron. As she finished she heard the door open. When she went out to greet Ranma, she was surprised by the appearance of Minmei and a very pregnant Kasumi with Ranma loaded down with their bags.

"Oh, my!" said Minmei while Kasumi presented her with a devious grin she'd never seen before.

Embarrassed, Nabiki gathered her clothes off the floor leading to the bedroom and got dressed. She returned to find everybody had served themselves (fortunate for cooking for Ranma). "What's going on?"

"Mom felt it best that Kasumi stayed with me these final weeks, and Rick wishes Minmei to stay with me until the doctors allow her to fly," explained Ranma.

Nabiki realized that this must have been what Ranma had said when he left this morning.

"Though I truly don't understand that," replied Minmei. "I live just around the block. It's not like you couldn't get there in a second if I had a problem."

"Well it looks like you had a pleasurable time, little sister," Kasumi said, changing the topic.

"Would you like me to make more?" Nabiki asked while heading into the kitchen, hoping to avoid the topic. But she had no luck as Kasumi was the only one who wanted more and also agreed to help

"So?"

"So what?"

"Oh, come off it, Nabiki. I know you came here last night looking to-"

"Kasumi, please!" silently exclaimed Nabiki.

The look on Kasumi's face read that she might know something that Nabiki didn't. So Nabiki questioned it. She was not expecting the answer she received. According to Auntie Nodoka, due to the anxiety of Minmei and her kidnapping, along with the frustration of his past missions, Ranma had a lot of pent up energy. Nodoka had worried about how he might direct said energy and hoped that Nabiki would provide the relief her son needed. Nabiki seriously questioned that. Kasumi agreed that she felt the same when Nodoka told her until she talked to Claudia, who informed her that Roy was the same way during the time of testing the Veritech fighters.

Not wanting to continue the conversation, Nabiki took a bowl of rice and returned to the dining room. Seeing how quickly Ranma and Minmei became quiet, she asked what they were talking about, Minmei was quick to reply it was about Kyle's sudden disappearance. (In truth, they were talking about the fact Minmei was stuck in New Macross until a certain person returned to Earth.)

Nabiki spat out maliciously, "He better stay disappeared, for the next time I see him, I'll kill him!"

"That doesn't sound like you, Nabiki," remarked Kasumi, taking her seat.

"I'm surprised he was able to get out of the hospital in less than two weeks," commented Ranma. "Though I'm sorry I made that guy your tour manager. I wished there was a way I could make it up."

Nabiki saw Minmei's eyes light up. "Well there is a way," said Minmei. "You can sing with me."

For some reason, the busty redhead appeared with a slight shimmer. Though she had seen it before, it still crept Nabiki out that Ranma was able to change at will without water. "And don't tell me. You want me to sing like this?" replied Ranma.

Minmei nodded.

"What do you want to sing?"

"I've been working on songs for the two of us to sing together."

Nabiki could see the hesitancy in Ranma's face. So could Minmei, who went to state that the songs would be in their native language.

"Singing in Japanese? Why?" asked Ranma, perplexed.

It seemed that the Japanese government had made a push to return things back to normalcy. Though recognizing the importance of knowing English, they felt the need to reestablish the nation's identity, which included returning to the use of Japanese language as the predominate language.

"Just imagine what it would do if the world's biggest pop star decided to release an album with her beautiful sister in their native language?"

"Album!?"

"Well, I thought we'd start off with a couple of singles to gauge the market then we'll release an album."

Ranma turned to Nabiki. "Have you been talking to her?"

"What!?"

"This sounds like something you would suggest."

"I think this would be great for you," commented Kasumi. "Think of little Nova when she's listening to her Auntie Ranko in her native Japanese."

"But I don't have the time," whined Ranma, clearly looking for a way out.

"But didn't you just say you were going to take some time off before the birth of Maki?" asked Minmei.

Ranma tried to reply to this. There were other things she wanted to do during her vacation. But it was obvious that she was caught without a way out.

"Oh, go ahead and do it," stated Kasumi. Besides you've already said you would do anything to make it up for Kyle."

With that Ranma knew things were settled. Though she knew she would do anything for her sister within reason, it was well known that she felt obligated to keep Kasumi happy because she felt guilty for all that she had to give up because of Soun Tendo, which was why she fussed but went along with fathering Kasumi's child, and why she did everything within her power so that Kasumi could attend Macross University to get her much deserved degree.

"Okay, but only if it is just Japanese."

-End Flashback-

"…things are going fine, honey," Rick said over the vid-phone.

Minmei had some downtime in recording and decided to give Rick a call. She was fortunate that she caught him since it was a half a date time difference.

"Are you eating well?" she asked.

"It's not your cooking, but it's like I'm back on the fortress."

That was nice to hear, but Minmei could tell that there was something bothering her husband. His body language just didn't seem right.

"So do you know when you'll be home?" Rick asked.

"Hopefully within a couple of weeks," replied Minmei.

Then, out of the blue, Rick commented, "You know I was doing a little research, and there are doctors that say it's all right for pregnant woman to continue to have sex."

At that moment, Minmei realized what the problem was. It brought to mind a saying that her mother told as a young girl growing up in Yokohama. _You have got to know your husband's needs, wants, and desires at all times so that he never strays from you._ Of course at the time, her mother was under the impression that Minmei's future husband was Ranma.

The problem was she had denied Rick this want for months.

"That's maybe true, but I don't want to risk you hitting the baby's head," replied Minmei.

"I can be gentle."

That wasn't what worried Minmei. It was the possible repeated contact that worried her.

Rick gave the sympathetic look that he had perfected for when he wanted something from her. "Ha! That won't work with me today. I've got an ocean between us," taunted Minmei.

"Anyway, Ranma and mom say hi. Mom might come back with me. She says that she has things she needs to do at the shrine. I think it's related to why the others are gone."

"It sure would be nice if we could use that technology," commented Rick. It was old argument that had been going on since he found out Ranma's clan's secrets.

"Oh, look, Ranma just walked into the studio. I have to go. Love you." And like that, their first conversation in two weeks was over.

---

Ranma was again in the recording booth. She was amazed how little time it took to record the first few songs. Unfortunately that could not be said about this song. She had done eight takes so far in the three days since they started working on this song. Much of it was due to Kasumi. As her due date neared, Ranma's mind was elsewhere, especially after the false alarm the day before.

Minmei walked in and announced, "Change of plan."

"Wha!?" exclaimed Ranma, startled by Minmei sudden appearance.

"Yeah, we're gonna record this instead," continued Minmei, handing Ranma a new sheet of lyrics. She realized that Ranma was stuck in a rut and thought that maybe changing the song would clear her mind.

_Interesting title_, thought Ranma.

Just then, new music started playing in the booth. It was a bouncy, catchy tune. As it played, Ranma started the read the lyrics, trying to get a mental picture of how they would sound.

"Well, it's more upbeat than this other song," commented Ranma when the music stopped. "So, you want me to do the older part and you do the younger part?"

"No, I thought we have mom do the older part and we do the younger part," answered Minmei, point to the booth across the hall, where Nodoka stood as an engineer explained the setup. Seeing the attention given to her, Nodoka waved at her girls.

"Ah, Minmei, you do realize the title says that this is a duet."

"I know. But I thought right now would be best for the three of us to sing as a trio," explained Minmei.

With that, Minmei switched booths.

"You wanna rehearse this before we roll tape?" asked the engineer when Minmei placed her headphones.

"How do you want to do this?" asked Ranma.

Minmei thought about it for a second before stating that they alternate, with Ranma taking the first part. Ranma marked up her lyric sheet to see how it would work, and it surprised her how logical it was, almost as if Minmei was writing it for her and mother. Ranma went over them in her head once more as Minmei continued talking to the recording engineers and producer and making sure that their mother felt comfortable.

It took a half hour of arrangement before they recorded the new song. When it was done, those on the other side were applauding.

"Minmei, Ranko, that's another hit," stated the producer. "Quite frankly, I've never come across three voices that blend together as perfectly as yours."

Ranma was all smiles at hearing that. But that smile was soon gone when Nabiki got on the microphone. "Ranko, Kasumi's water broke." Ranma was out of the building in a flash, ripping the cord to the headphones out of the socket in the process.

"Man, all the good-looking ones are either married or lesbians," murmured the engineer to the producer.

----

"You okay, Minmei?" asked Nabiki.

It was the day after the birth of her niece, and Nabiki decided to go into the studio to see how her client was doing. What she wasn't expecting to see was Ranma in the studio too. But she figured she wanted to get this song over with as soon as possible.

"…_Aitsu to iru tokya ki wo tsukau_

_Ano ko wa tsumaranai…"_

"Yeah, I'm okay," replied Minmei.

To anyone else, that answer would have been sufficient, but not Nabiki. Nabiki had spent too many years reading people, and the tone of her voice alerted Nabiki that something could be wrong. She waited for a break to bring up the subject. While she waited, Nabiki listened to Ranma get through the song with ease. She tried to think back and remember if he had acted the same way two years ago, considering he had to concern himself with two pregnant women due to give birth around the same time.

"Good take, Ranko," commented the recording engineer. "Let's take 10 and then work on the end."

The rooms cleared, leaving Nabiki and Minmei alone.

"So tell me what's wrong," phished Nabiki.

With a sigh, Minmei proceeded to say that she was worried about Rick. Nabiki was instantly shocked as she took it to mean there was something wrong with their marriage. Of all the young married couples she had met, she thought theirs was strongest, even stronger than her little sister. If this broke up, what chance would she have with Ranma? Even though Nabiki was competing with Lisa Hayes and Kasumi for Ranma's affection, her biggest fear was Minmei entering the mix. No matter what those two said, Nabiki believed the only thing keeping them apart was her equal love of Rick Hunter.

Nabiki wanted Minmei to explain why she was worried. Afterwards she believed it was very trivial. So trivial that she could not stop her little giggle.

"It's not funny," stated Minmei, but in a way that made her appear to pout. "This is a serious matter."

"So what! Your husband's a sex addict," replied Nabiki. "It was bound to happen." Nabiki thought this was typical of anyone addicted to anything. But she wondered if he was like this before they married. It was common knowledge amongst the family that their wedding night was Minmei's first.

This caused Minmei to ask if Nabiki was insinuating something about her husband. (Of course Minmei thought this shouldn't come from a woman who hadn't gotten any for over two years, but she politely kept that to herself so to not offend her new manager and mother to her brother's son.)

Nabiki quickly denied this, as she believed that Rick had been completely faithful to Minmei.

"But maybe you should take up on your mother's suggestion."

"Why does everyone want me to allow my husband to have a mistress?" asked Minmei.

"Considering our heritage, it shouldn't be an afterthought," replied Nabiki. "And it's not like you do not have a ready and willing candidate."

"So you can't get enough!? First my brother, now my husband!" Of course Minmei knew that Nabiki wasn't talking herself.

"What! No," came Nabiki's shocked reply. She was talking about Kim Young. She knew from a reliable source that Kim still had feelings for Rick.

A devious grin appeared on Minmei, as she selfishly enjoyed Ms. Young's plight.

"You stop that," commented Nabiki. "It's not her fault that you decided career was more important that the heart."

----

Lisa was in her kitchen finishing the preparations for this most anticipated day. It had been a day coming since the transformation the night of the premiere of Minmei's movie. Today she was to be her first date in years. Though to be truthful, this could be considered her first date ever since much of time she spent with Karl was the result of her father foisting her off on his young adjunct.

She was thankful to Ms. Hasagawa for letting her know what Ranma liked to eat. Though it was just a picnic in the park, she wanted to show that she wasn't all military. The only thing she was concerned about was if she had made enough. Rumors persisted that Ranma could and would eat a large quantity of food since the time he was a trainee.

_Now that the food's done, let's find something to wear_, she thought, walking away from the kitchenette. Lisa entered her and into her closet. The first thing she saw was a uniform still covered in the plastic from the dry cleaners and remembered the event that led to this day.

It was probably the stupidest she has done, getting depressed after witnessing the joy Ranma experienced with his children. To add to that, that day happened to her mother's birthday. Lisa realized she was same age as her mother went she had Lisa. When she was younger, Lisa had wanted to be a mother herself by this age. Of course she had pictured herself married to Karl well before now.

All of this had led to the sad state of her sitting in a bar after the end of her shift. There was no telling how long she would have stayed there if Claudia hadn't walked in the bar. After talking with her, Lisa was convinced to pour her heart out to Ranma, which she did over one of the few payphones that night, in the rain.

Ranma had been surprised to receive the call. In fact, even though the signs were obvious to those around him, Ranma didn't know that she had feelings towards, concerning how they first encountered each other that unfortunate day.

"You are such an idiot," he had said when he arrived at her location. There she was, soaked to the bone, having sat on the bench not far from the payphone. They ended up at his house (because it was closer) where, by the end of the night, Lisa "forced" herself onto him as Ranma was trying to give her some dry clothes from his closet.

The next morning, they agreed to have a picnic.

---

The phone rang in the shared apartment of Vanessa Leeds, Sammie Porter, and Kim Young. With it being the middle the day, the odds were good that the call would go to voice mail. But it was picked up by a very nude and very sweaty Vanessa.

"Hello," she panted, letting the caller know they interrupted her during some type of physical exertion. "Sorry, she's not here right now." She proceeded to write down a message. "I'll make sure she gets this. Bye."

At that, she hung up the phone and announced, "Okay, boys, I hope you enjoyed your little break. Now let's see if you can last other three hours."

---

Nabiki stepped back into the studio, soft drink in hand. While she was out, she made a phone call on Minmei's behalf. She came back to find both Minmei and Ranma in separate recording booths. Being new to the recording industry, they explained to her when they place them in separate booth, it was to help separate out their voices. Granted they could have been playing her on her naivety, but it sounded true.

Since Ranma had finally slugged her part of the song, Nabiki assumed they would be finishing up by having them record in separate booths. Instead she heard:

"…_onaka ga yojireru kurai(__Woo hoo oo_

_warawasete kureru(hoo)_

"_**Shibaraku shite 'Nani ga ata no?'**_

_bareteru mitai_

_**mata warai de kuuki kaeru**_

_**yasashii yatsu**_

"_**Otoko no tomodachi ga iru**_

_renai ni wa nara__**nai futari**_

_**kaimono ya eiga date**_

_tanoshiku dekichau __**kankei**_

"_Kyoudai mitai na mon ne(__Woo hoo hoo_

_Famiresu ni yukeba_

_gojikan wa heiki de(__Woo hoo hoo_

_oshaberi shiteru_

"_**Itsumo no you ni hanashiteru to**_

_kyuu ni majime ni_

_**kanojo ga dekisou nanda to**_

_**hanashi hajimeta**_

"_**Aitsu ni kanojo ga dekiru**_

'_Omedetou!' te __**itteru kedo**_

_**egao to ka tsukutteru**_

_nandarou? okashi na __**kankaku**_

_**Ahhhhh**_

_**Ah, Ah, Ah**_

_**Ahhhhh**_

_**Ah, Ah, Ah**_

_**Ahhhhh**_

_**Ah, Ah, Ah**_

_**Ahhhhh**_

"_Otoko no tomodachi ga iru_

_renai ni wa naranai futari_

_kaimono ya eiga datte_

_tanoshiku dekichau kankei_

_Hey!_

"_**Aitsu ni kanojo ga dekiru**_

'_Omedetou!' te __**itteru kedo**_

_**egao to ka tsukutteru**_

_nandarou? okashi na kankaku_

"_**Aitsu ni kanojo ga dekiru**_

'_Omedetou!' te __**itteru kedo**_

_**namida ga dete kichaisou**_

_nandarou? saimishii na __**kankaku**__."_

Nabiki could not but to snicker towards the end to the song. For Ranma to sing lead on a song of that subject matter was funny to her. The producer and engineer gave her a look of puzzlement, wondering what could be funny about the song. They only had Minmei's translation of the lyrics. Since there was someone whose native language was Japanese with them, it made them believe that there was a problem with it.

"Okay, Minmei, Ranko, let's try it again," spoke the producer. "Only this time, make it-" He didn't know what to say because he didn't know what could have made it laughable.

"Make it what?" asked Minmei after not getting an immediate response.

"I don't know really" was the response from the producer. Then he suggested that maybe the have Minmei sing lead instead. That's when Nabiki interjected that the song was all right. She went on to say that she thought the guys in the room thought there might a problem because she was in there laughing.

That earned her a cold stare from Ranma.

---

Lisa sat at an outdoor café, enjoying the mid-autumn Pacific Northwest weather. She should have been enjoying said weather in the park right now. Instead she was on her third hot drink as she waited on Ranma, who was now an hour and a half late.

She wasn't that concern when it was just fifteen minutes. She was under impression that the third woman he impregnated gave birth the other day, so there was an excuse for a little late. There was some concern when he didn't answer his cell phone at a half hour or his pager at thirty-five minutes.

At forty-five minutes her patience ran out. It was the time she watched several couple meet at the café and go about their business. She had to suffer through the many men who tried to pick her up. She didn't want to be bothered by them, for her appearance wasn't meant for them. She wore best casual dress for Ranma. She had her hair in a ponytail because Claudia hinted that Ranma like women who wore their hair in ponytail (or pigtail, or at shoulder length, or down the back, or short). She even wore makeup.

But she continued to wait. Her ever-present, military mind had rationalized that she was in a war for Ranma's heart with Nabiki Tendo. Nabiki had already claimed victory on one front by having his child. But now was the time for Lisa's counterstrike. Confident that she had achieved friend status, it was time to show him that she could be more than that.

_Still, it was common courtesy to at least call if he was going to be late_.

---

"ACHOO!!!"

"You feeling okay?" asked Minmei.

"Just fine," replied Ranma.

"If you're coming down with something, you're going to have to go into the other booth."

Ranma gave her an annoyed look.

"And I'm sure Kasumi will banish you from seeing that beautiful daughter of yours, too."

At that time, the producer decided to interrupt their little banter to ask if they were ready to record. As Ranma put on her headphone, she briefly wondered who could've been talking about her, as she hadn't sneezed like since the SDF-1 folded to Pluto.

"Okay, this is the first take," announced the producer. Ten seconds later the playback started.

"_**Anata ga iru koto ga  
Watashi no aruku michi shirube  
Futari deattara  
Nani mo kowaku wa nai to choushi ni notte**_

_**"Tarataran tarararararan  
Doko mademo tsuzukisouna ashiato  
Te to te wo tsunaginagaran  
Mou sukoshi tooku made omoide wo tsukurou ka**_

"_**Anata ga ite kurete  
Tanoshiku ichinichi wa owaru  
Futari de yattara  
Tsurai koto hanbunko kurai no kimochi de**_

"_**Fuwafuwan tadayota wan  
Itsumademo wasuresou na oshigoto  
Te to te wa tsunaida maman  
Ki ga tsukeba mou konna toko made**_

"_Zutto michikusa mo sezu ni toshi o totte  
Wagamama ni natta kana_

"_Yaritakunai koto yatteru you na  
Jikan na nai node_ _**kore de ii yo**_

"_**Futari wa nando mo  
Onaji koto bakari o kurikaeshiteru**_

"_**Tarataran tarararararan  
Nagai koto nokorisou na hitokoto  
Te to te wa tsunaida maman  
Ato sukoshi tooku made susumou**_

"_**Fuwafuwan fuwawafuwawan  
Amari ni mo yume no you na dekigoto  
Te to te ga hanareta naran  
Mata tsunageba ii dake no koto nan desu.**__"_

"That has to be the best yet," chimed the recording engineer ten seconds after the playback stopped.

Ranma was happy to hear that. After a couple days of inactivity, proceeded by a couple days where she sang like crap, it was nice to bounce back like this.

Ranma looked through the glass to catch Nabiki's reaction. Instead she saw the clock on the back of the wall and realized that she was late. "Oh, shit!! I hafta get goin!" she exclaimed, tossing the headphones behind her as she left. She was out the door before anyone realized what happened.

"I guess we're done for the day."

---

Ranma sped through the streets of New Macross. She was supposed to meet with Lisa well over two hours ago. She just knew that Lisa was angry, especially since one of the things that her mother emphasized that he should never make a woman wait. She hoped Lisa waited for her, yet hoped she didn't at the same time.

Lisa sat in her car, finally fed up with waiting. She had given Ranma two hours to show. Two hours was probably more than any normal woman would have given a man. But Ranma was not just any man. The problem she dealt with was not knowing if she would have an opportunity like this again.

Lisa was set to start her car when she was distracted by the sound of screeching tires. She looked up to see if there was an accident only to find the Ranma, parked in the spot next to her. She shot Ranma a look that could kill, evident by her flinching back as if she was hit by a bullet.

Ranma got out of the car and went to driver side of the car. She immediately apologized through the closed window. Lisa played as if she didn't hear Ranma by starting the car. She couldn't believe that Ranma lost track of time. She seriously thought about putting the car in gear and leaving her standing there. But her thoughts returned to the fact she might be wasting an opportunity.

"Well, you could at least answer your phone!"

Ranma patted herself down and realized that she didn't have it with her. She remembered that he went home from the hospital to shower and change before heading out to the recording studio. "Oh, I forgot it."

Lisa wanted to bang her head against the steering wheel, only because this wasn't the first time. Ranma was notorious when it came to forgetting his cell phone. It infuriated Lisa the most because it seemed to happen whenever she needed him. She turned off the car and got out. "Do you realize how important this is to me?"

Ranma was set to question the remark, but the tone n her voice off Lisa stopped, yet another lesson from her mother. "Well, I'm here now. It isn't too late to still have our picnic."

Ranma had to smile to herself for coming up with a line like that. Of course this caused Lisa to laugh at how ridiculous she looked.

"Okay, but only if you change."

"Huh!?" Then it came to her that she was still a she. "You're not going to have a problem with this hotness?" she asked while gesturing.

"N-N-No!" Lisa stammered out, thinking that Ranma might have gotten the wrong meaning. "It's just I invited the 'guy' with whom I spent the night to a picnic, not some short, buxom bimbo."

_Bimbo!_ thought Ranma. Then she realized Lisa was joking. "Okay. Just wait while I get some hot water."

---

Another chapter done, and soon it will all be over. With hope, it will not be another year for the next chapter's release.

The songs included are Sakura Saku and Tararan by Puffy and Da Di Du De Do Da Di! and Otoko Tomodachi by Morning Musume, since I have no a lyrical bone in my body. I thank projecthello and the jpopandjrock for the romanji.


End file.
